Moscow detective made protecting children his mission

MOSCOW -- People may wonder how recently retired Eric Kjorness could do his difficult job for the Moscow Police Department the past six years.

Kjorness said his job as a forensic investigator who specializes in investigating internet crimes against children, including child pornography cases, was more of a mission.

“How could I not do it?” he said.

Armed with an aptitude for technology, Kjorness became the MPD’s first staff member to take on that role full-time. He saw it as an opportunity to use his special skills to protect children.

“It’s a good feeling when you can catch someone that you know is doing that kind of thing online,” he said.

Kjorness worked with law enforcement agencies across Idaho and beyond to convict criminals. He said any major crime has a digital component, whether it is cellphone records or computer records. These carry a wealth of evidence

“If you’re not going after that evidence, you’re probably missing something,” he said.

Chief James Fry said there is “no way to describe” how great Kjorness was at his job.

“He was probably one of the best that I’d ever seen,” Fry said, adding he would put Kjorness’s skill set up against any other forensic detective’s in the Northwest.

According to the MPD, Kjorness was recognized by the United States Department of Justice in 2017 and awarded the Missing Children’s Child Protection Award.

He has been a full-time member of the Idaho Attorney General’s ICAC Task Force since 2018 and assisted in investigating more than 200 cases resulting in more than 50 convictions both on a local level and in federal court. In 2021, he was deputized as a Special Deputy with the U.S. Marshall’s Office.

Kjorness called the recognition a great honor, but he described himself simply as one investigator “doing the best I could.”

He said cases involving internet crimes against children are usually very intense and can take six months at a time to complete. He called it “pretty darn stressful” which is why he is ready to take a break and spend more time with his family. The MPD announced his retirement last week.

The job may have been difficult, but Kjorness said he received a lot of support and good wishes from the community.

He encouraged anyone who wants to find out more information about internet crimes against children to visit the website for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at missingkids.org.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.