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The Phoenix Police Department, in partnership with other Arizona authorities, on Friday announced 37 arrests in connection to human trafficking and sex crimes. Undercover police placed ads on websites commonly sought out by suspects seeking illegal sex acts with children as part of an investigation dubbed Operation Broken Hearts. The probe targeted “sexual predators engaged in child sex crimes and human trafficking,” Phoenix police wrote in a Friday Facebook post.
Former detective Christopher Butts, along with five other men, were arrested following a months-long operative against child sex crimes.
PHOENIX — A former detective with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is accused of trying to entice a minor for sex for the second time this year.
The arrest came after a month-long sting operation to catch sexual predators in a joint law enforcement operation called “Operation Home Alone 2” in Pinal County.
“Operation Home Alone 2” was designed as a proactive operation to combat child sexual exploitation and child sex trafficking. Between Aug. 26 and Sept. 3 multiple arrests were made as a result.
PHOENIX — Mesa police arrested eight suspects as part of an undercover operation targeting child sex crimes and human trafficking, the department announced Thursday.
Operation Vampire Cough had officers and undercover detectives placing advertisements on websites commonly used by individuals to seek out illegal sex acts.
Suspects solicited or made deals for various child sex acts and were subsequently arrested, the department said.
Tucson, Arizona — The Tucson Police Department is raising awareness about the global crisis of human and sex trafficking with the help of Faith, a young woman who was trafficking for 7 years by the MS-13 gang. “I never learned to read, or write, and now I am going to classes to get my GED,” Faith said. “I want to become a social worker so I can help other victims.”
Phoenix, Arizona– The Office of the Arizona Attorney General awarded $275,000 to local organizations that provide support to human trafficking survivors. The grants, spread across four organizations, are expected to help about 150 individuals. The Phoenix area is expanding emergency and long-term housing options for victims of trafficking. “Now more than ever, we must ensure that this vital property and the resources it provides are available to those who need it,” Phoenix City Councilman Jim Waring, the chair of the city’s human trafficking task force, said in the release.
In Phoenix, Arizona 27 men have been arrested this month through Operation Silent Predator. Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe and Chandler police worked with Homeland Security Investigations and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office on the undercover operation. January 13, officers and detectives began placing ads on websites which are known to predators. The men ages differ from 21 to 69.
In Kingman, Arizona the Mohave County Sheriff’s office went undercover for sting operations for online predators. The mission of the operation was to identify and catch anyone was attempting to lure minors for sexual exploitation. This sting led to three individuals arrested.
Human trafficking is a serious public health issue that affects everybody in the community. It is estimated that there more than hundreds of thousands of victims in the U.S. Approximately 50,000 people are trafficked into the U.S yearly.
The girl was rescued from a hotel by detectives with the Phoenix, AZ. Police Department’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (H.E.A.T). She told authorities that Hood had been trafficking her for months.
Arizona man Louis Broadway-Phillips, 25, indicted for trafficking two adult victims and one minor victim, contacted these three victims while out on bond. The three victims reported that Broadway-Phillips wanted them to relinquish their victim rights and recant their original reports. Broadway-Phillips is now jailed without bond.
Finding new and innovative ways to combat the demand for purchased sex, raise awareness to this nationwide epidemic, and provide safe environments for victims.