Date : September 8, Incident : Human trafficking project from May 19 through August 23 results in multiple arrests. Over several months, Bend Police conducted a project dedicated to combating human trafficking, sex work and luring of minors, with an emphasis on identifying and arresting people who are attempting to meet underage children for sex. Over the course of this project, 20 adults were arrested for various crimes associated with attempting to lure and engage in sexual acts with minors.
Bend Police officers posted ads online, then posed as minors in both text and phone conversations. Many of those people, upon learning they were apparently communicating with a minor, immediately cut off communication. Police clearly identified themselves as underage. Those arrested then agreed to meet, sometimes bringing drugs and alcohol to the agreed-upon location.
Upon arrival, they were taken into custody on the above charges and lodged at the Deschutes County Jail. During the course of the project, multiple people came forward and identified themselves as victims of sexual abuse at the hands of these suspects.
Bend Police are asking the public to contact nonemergency dispatch at if you or someone you know is the victim of any of these suspects. Bend Police want our community to know we are proactively investigating these crimes. We will continue to conduct projects like this in the future. This outreach will also let potential predators know our community is vigilant. Our goal is to identify traffickers and prevent this activity from taking place in our community.
During the operation, Bend Police saw a significant decrease for demand in sex work in our community, and by extension, a decrease in sex workers operating in our community.
