The Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children task force will double its investigation capacity and provide equipment and training to other agencies using $750,000 it is receiving as part of "Alicia's Law."

Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown, Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria, television star Erik Estrada and Alicia Kozakiewicz, for whom the law was named, made the announcement at a press conference this morning.

Moran wrote the law to create a stronger network of officers trained specifically to track down sexual predators on the Internet.

"You can pass tough penalties all you want," Moran said after the news conference. "But tough penalties alone don't make our kids safer."

The task force, headed by the Bedford County Sheriff's Office, will use the money to increase the number of investigators from three to six and will also focus on providing more training and equipment to its 58 affiliate agencies. Some of the money will also be used to fund a prosecuting position at the Bedford County Commonwealth's Attorney's office.

The Northern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children task force is also receiving $750,000.

As a 13-year-old, Kozakiewicz left her home in Pennsylvania to meet a 38-year-old Herndon man that she meet online. That man, Scott Tyree, chained her to his basement floor, beat and raped Kozakiewicz for four days until the FBI found her. Tyree was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison.

Kozakiewicz is now 19 and studying to be an investigator with an Internet Crimes Against Children task force.