(KLFY) — The Louisiana Department of Justice has seen a rise in the number of child predator and cybercrimes over the past year and it’s becoming concerning. They’re reminding parents, with the kids at home, to check what they’re doing occasionally to make sure they don’t put themselves into harms way.

“Especially since the pandemic… It seems to have exacerbated the problem and it really is horrific because behind each one of these crimes is an innocent child,” Attorney General Jeff Landry said in an exclusive interview.

The department has thousands of cases they’re looking into, some dating as far back as 2013. Inside of the evidence rooms, there are things ranging from computers to blankets — all used as evidence or identifiers to help prove the cybercrime. For example, if investigators find the exact blanket in a photo with a child they will take the blanket for evidence to help the case.

“It’s not a 45 minutes with commercial breaks, this takes a lot of time and effort,” Forensic Manager Corey Bourgeois said. In total, for some major cases, it could take up to a year for evidence to be sifted through.

Bourgeois also gave an example of some of the cases he’s seen saying, “Now what they were looking at was horrific. We’re talking like a 17-year-old looking at 3-year-olds getting sexually abused and that’s what excites them. So, it’s not a one size fits all crime.”

Once again, Attorney General Landry and Bourgeois are just reminding people to keep an eye on what their kids are doing online. You can view a brochure the department has created here.