The horrific business of selling children is world-wide and right here in Green Country. The Tulsa Police Department is now partnered with the organization, Stop Child Trafficking Now.
FOX23’s Abbie Alford reports on how officers plan to track down and stop child predators.
Hotels, massage parlors, 11th notorious for prostitution and truck stops are hot spots for the child sex trade.
With a Navy Seal approach operatives with Stop Child Trafficking Now (SCTNow) are creating a database of those who could be driving the sex trade.
For the next few weeks these operatives will be assessing and setting up surveillance in Tulsa and surrounding communities. They’ll be looking for any indicators where they believe children are exploited.
Once that assessment is complete Tulsa police officers and the deputies will have access to in-depth information about possible child predators.
"Anything from child porn, lewd molestation of a minor child. abductions we will probably use this database with amber alerts," says Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan.
The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office who is certified with federal immigration law 287-G is also teaming up with officers and SCTNow to take down child predators.
Authorities say illegal immigration plays a big role in the child sex trade.
“This program will be another tool in our tool chest as far as information gathering to go forward in investigations," says Undersheriff Brian Edwards.
The county has 24 deputies 287-G trained.
The Director of operatives for SCTNow is former Navy Seal Clark Stuart.
He says there are many indicators child trafficking is going on such as locks inside massage parlors young employees who can’t speak English.
