WASHINGTON — (Scroll down for video) — Operation Cross Country, a nationwide law enforcement action that took place last week and focused on underage victims of prostitution, has concluded with the recovery of 149 sexually exploited children and the arrests of more than 150 pimps and other individuals.
The FBI, in partnership with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), conducted the annual action—the ninth and largest such enforcement to date—as part of the Bureau’s Innocence Lost National Initiative.
This year’s enforcement action, coordinated through 73 of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Forces—which include federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies—was conducted nationwide in 135 cities. More than 500 law enforcement officials took part in sting operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, and other areas frequented by pimps, prostitutes, and their customers. The youngest recovered victim was 12 years old.
“We are proud to partner with the FBI and provide support to both law enforcement and victim specialists in the field as they work to locate and recover survivors of child sex trafficking,” said Linda Krieg, NCMEC’s acting chief executive officer. “The number of children recovered and pimps arrested in this year’s operation highlights the importance of these efforts today and every day in protecting our children.”
During Operation Cross Country, nearly 100 victim specialists from the FBI’s Office for Victim Assistance provided on-scene services to recovered young victims. Services included crisis intervention as well as resources for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention.
Below: Raw video footage from Cross Country operations in Alexandria, Virginia and Jackson, Mississippi.
