- Leon County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) held a press conference to announce results of Operation Lifeguard.
- Operation Lifeguard targeted perpetrators of online child exploitation in Big Bend and Florida.
- 93 contacts were made with adults; 15 individuals traveled to meet minors for sexual favors resulting in felony arrests.
- Watch the video to see how law enforcement were able to make the arrests.
The Leon County Sheriff's Office announced the arrests of more than a dozen people as part of Operation Lifeguard, a significant undercover operation targeting perpetrators of online child exploitation.
Fighting child sex crimes where we live.
I'm Terry Gilliam your Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood reporter.
I see the outcomes of an undercover operation ran by the Leon County Sheriff's office and others, and how they're trying to protect minors.
"The crime of human trafficking is one that's been growing and growing exponentially thanks to the internet."
Robin Hassler Thompson is the Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center. She tells me child trafficking happens very often.
"It could happen in a job like setting, a convenience store, or it can happen at any of these online commercial sex activities."
But law enforcement is still trying to combat that type of crime.
It's called Operation Lifeguard and it targeted perpetrators of online child exploitation in the Big Bend and the state of Florida.
LCSO and partnering agencies like the Tallahassee Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and FBI worked together over the course of three days.
The operation resulted in 93 contacts with adults who continued conversations with undercover officers after being informed that individuals they were communicating with were under the age of 18.
Of the 93 contacts, 15 individuals traveled to meet or solicit minors for sexual favors, resulting in felony-level arrests.
I asked Undersheriff, Ron Cave, if there are any hotspots in the area for this type of crime.
"Are there any vulnerable areas in Tallahassee, any specific zip codes where this crime goes on?"
"No, not any specific zip codes. That's really the unfortunate thing, it's hard to hone down our target because it's all over. The internet is vast."
LCSO says children were being targeted online on social media apps and various gaming platforms. Robin explains how this crime happens and what advocacy groups like Survive and Thrive do to help the victims.
"Traffickers are really good at zeroing in on somebody's unmet needs, often economic needs and then exploiting them, their labor, and their bodies. We focus our services on what a survivor needs, and we do that in a way that respects and understands the trauma that they've gone through."
Law enforcement says though this particular crime isn't slowing down, one of the best ways to keep your child safe are to monitor their screen time when using their cellphone. In Southwest Tallahassee, Terry Gilliam, ABC27.
