This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

After 114 sex crime investigations, 124 computer seizures, more than 36 million images, thousands of overtime hours and 39 arrests, Utah's Internet crime investigators on Thursday offered a flat proclamation for their month-long, statewide child-pornography bust.

"It's a pin prick," said Cache County detective Vicky Carver. "In everything that's out there, this is a drop in the bucket."

But in last month's investigation, small drops yielded big arrests: A Pleasant Grove man was released from prison in November after serving 15 years for multiple rapes; in March, investigators found child pornography on four computers, three cell phones, four external hard drives and 10 thumb drives at his home. A Salt Lake County man, in a previous conviction for possessing child pornography, served two days in jail and six months home confinement; in March, he was charged with 20 new felony counts.

"In my estimation, pedophiles spend way too little time behind bars," said state Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, whose office oversees the Internet Crimes Against Children task force. "People ... can't be cured of an addiction."

Thirteen of the 39 men arrested are from Utah County, more than any of the 18 counties targeted. Twelve are from Salt Lake County and seven are from Cache County.

"The 'profile' is any man older than 17," warned task force commander Jessica Farnsworth.

The 114 suspects contacted during March included businessmen, teachers, physicians, civic leaders and construction workers, Farnsworth said. One of the men charged is a Salt Lake County woodworker whose toymaking business has received coverage in statewide media.

One woman was investigated, Farnsworth said.

The suspected crimes range from possession of pornography to creating and disseminating child pornography.

Farnsworth said some of the 114 suspects are accused of filming or photographing their own illegal sex acts with children as young as toddlers, but she declined to discuss those cases. According to a press release, two suspects, a Utah County man and a Weber County juvenile, are accused of manufacturing child pornography.

Additionally, a Davis County man was charged with object rape and aggravated sexual abuse of a child after a federal conviction for producing pornography, and a Salt Lake County man faces two sex abuse charges along with his charge of dealing in material harmful to a minor. Farnsworth would not confirm whether those two men are suspected of committing those abuses in the creation of pornography.

Investigators will not know how many Utah children were victims in the cases until they review the images seized — the total number is estimated in excess of 36 million, according to figures provided by the Attorney General's Office — and finish the pending investigations, Farnsworth said.

The images collected "would make most of us leave the room and throw up," Shurtleff said.

"If a person spent eight hours a day, in chunks of 15 seconds downloading and viewing each image seized during this operation, the person would be viewing child pornography nonstop for 55 years," said Ken Wallentine, director of law enforcement for the Attorney General's Office in a news release. "We could probably add a few more years for all of the images found on cell phones and Xboxes."

Utah's rates of child pornography offenses generally exceed national norms, Farnsworth said.

"We have more children per capita, more computers per capita and also are more trusting than other states," Farnsworth said.

Investigators urged more vigilant monitoring of children's contacts online and encouraged wireless customers to password-protect their connections so strangers cannot download and upload illegal material on each other's accounts.

The March investigations, dubbed "Operation FrostyLime Squeeze" after the Frostwire and Limewire file-sharing programs, was funded in part by donations from Operation Kids, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization. Investigations took place in Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Iron, Kane, Salt Lake, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Washington and Weber counties.

Reporter Sheena McFarland contributed to this report.