
From Leads to Recovery: Inside a Human Trafficking Task Force
Dec 16, 2024
3 min read
by Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force
Our Taskforce was created in 2016, by one investigator. I joined the team in 2020 with the instructions to “find a way to make yourself helpful”. Our task force is unique due to its layout. We have 10 full-time employees assigned to our team which consists of federal, state, and local investigators, victim advocates, child advocacy specialists, analysts, and state prosecutors. Approximately 12 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout our region are assigned to our task force on a part-time basis. This is impactful, as it allows us to work together in identifying and investigating sex trafficking rings across the northern portion of our state.

The approach of our task force has evolved over the last decade. When we first started, our one investigator’s approach was to build rapport with community partners like SANE Nurses, and problematic hotels, and respond to every call as quickly as possible. This was remarkably successful in developing relationships with community partners that are still ongoing today. However, it was unsustainable due to the volume of calls we received. Our expansion allowed us to shift to a more proactive approach to investigations and prosecutions.
We noticed a shift from strictly a cash business to more digital transactions. When a tip is successfully investigated, we target digital transactions and can use verified –or even unverified– records to identify additional potential victims. This approach has expanded several investigations from 1-2 vulnerable victims to possibly dozens of additional victims, thanks to the cross-referencing data found in these records with Spotlight’s database. This has led to our team recovering a handful of juvenile victims in 2024 that we likely wouldn’t have discovered.
Additionally, utilizing financial record data has allowed us to likely identify the difference between sex work or a possible drug transaction, pursue charges for trafficking-adjacent crimes, and contact additional individuals in a more safe and controlled setting. Financial charges have led to the seizure of bank accounts or assets linked to trafficking operations.
Spotlight’s software is critical to our operation and the safe recovery of juveniles. In our region, most juveniles appear to be coached on how to post sex ads to avoid detection. Specifically, juveniles do not show their face, they use “Text Now” numbers, and often wear wigs to change their appearance. When we come across photos like what was described in a sex trafficker’s phone, we utilize Spotlight’s image search to identify sex ads. Just this month, we were able to indict 3 different people on human trafficking charges that stemmed from sex ads in a phone, corroborated by data provided through Spotlight.
Most sex traffickers are smart and attempt to distance themselves from their victims. They target extremely vulnerable victims that they can exploit. Furthermore, modern challenges often complicate investigations, as phone developers make it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to gain access to suspects' devices, even with a warrant. This will likely increase reliance on tools like Spotlight, to gather up-to-the-minute accurate data to guide how investigations and prosecutions are conducted.
Donors support of Spotlight will continue to allow our task force to identify child sex trafficking victims, especially as the landscape of investigations continues to change. Advancements in AI could help uncover new patterns to identify more victims as traffickers and the landscape evolves. Further funding of Spotlight can allow tools like these to invest in new technology, innovate and be made readily available to law enforcement to help additional identification of juvenile sex victims.
I hope the public understands that sex trafficking happens everywhere. Every community, rich or poor, is affected. Most of the traffickers we’ve encountered target cities with hotels right off the highway in higher end suburbs, or budget motels where they can easily come and go with little questions. They go to where they can exploit victims for profit.
Anyone can be a victim–age, race, or gender doesn’t matter to the trafficker who can use them to make money, they will. I hope that the public recognizes that law enforcement agencies are here to help. If you think you know someone who is a victim of human trafficking, reach out to your local police or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline (888-373-7888).
If you are inspired by the work of the Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and want to keep supporting access to Spotlight for their investigations, consider a donation to Spotlight to cover a license or two :).