KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A cooperative effort to battle human trafficking that involved sheriff's offices in Clay, Clinton, Platte, and Ray counties, along with the Kearney Police Department, resulted in 12 arrests last week.
The operation, according to a news release from the Platte County Sheriff's Department, was designed to "reduce the demand for victimization of victim-survivors of sex trafficking in these communities, connect to and provide critical services and support to these potential victims, and
especially deter any suspect attempting to prey upon children who have been enslaved by the commercial sex industry."
Agencies from the Kansas City area, across Kansas, and from Arizona and Nevada helped with the investigation, according to the news release.
The results:
Seven people were arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex with a child.
Three people were arrested and booked for attempting to buy sex.
Two suspects were arrested for promoting prostitution for recruiting a person to engage in prostitution.
“I commend the actions of every agency involved in this operation," Platte County Sheriff Erik Holland stated in the news release. " No community is immune to these types of crimes. Law enforcement must continue to work together and share resources in a commitment to fight sex trafficking.”
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If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
