Source: US FBI
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, teams from 14 law enforcement agencies worked on a three-day operation. Their work included locating sex offenders who had failed to register, tracking predators who approach children online, and looking for a runaway teenager at high risk for being trafficked.
The result was three arrests: one of an unregistered sex offender (which will become a federal case) and two state arrests.
Two federal cases were opened on suspects who may have been involved with child sexual abuse material production or enticement violations. Enticement involves using the internet to coerce a child (or someone connected to the child) to manufacture sexually explicit material of a child.
This year’s Operation Cross Country expanded to investigate sex offenders who may be eligible for federal charges and people trying to connect with children online to sexually abuse them. It’s a hybrid model that has expanded the traditional role of Operation Cross Country, said Sam, a special agent who leads the Chattanooga office’s crimes against children investigations.
“With the advent of social media, access to mobile devices and technology … they’re out there in the neighborhoods not being monitored,” Sam said. “And we don’t know if they’re going to have access to these communication devices to continue to exploit children online or have inappropriate physical contact with children.”