Message of the Week 03/15/2024 from Sheriff Brad Pope

Recently, I met with members of the community who introduced an organization that assists agencies with creating a human trafficking and child exploitation investigative task force. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is always looking to expand its resources, and expand our partnerships. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office is in the infancy stages of creating a task force that combats human trafficking and child exploitation. We are looking to partner with Operation Light Shine, and any surrounding law enforcement agencies.

From Operation Light Shine:

“Operation Light Shine uses a task force concept to unite organizations in the fight against Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking. We accomplish this mission by revolutionizing the way resources and communications are navigated to effectively make an impact across each industry that plays a role. We aim to bring unilateral collaboration with law enforcement, field specialists, and subject matter experts in a joint effort to fight human trafficking and child exploitation. Our task force concept brings together those who thrive in their fields and creates a lasting model of networking that strengthens each organization’s mission internationally and domestically.”

Partnering with this organization provides funding for a Detective, investigative resources, software, hardware and if needed a facility to operate out of.

Last year the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office investigated over 100 cases that would qualify as child exploitation. Examples of child exploitation include child pornography, child sex trafficking, sextortion, the live streaming of child sexual abuse, and child sex tourism, the act of involving a child for economic or other reasons in criminal activities.

Human trafficking and child exploitation cases spread throughout the United States. We are hoping to offer a weapon against these crimes regionally. We have reached out to surrounding law enforcement agencies, and have set a meeting date. We are hopeful that this task force can be launched and effectively used to combat these crimes.

Again this task force idea in in the infancy stages, and I will keep the community up to date on the progress.

Respectfully,

Sheriff Brad Pope