Operation Cross Country in Racine: 13 women recovered, two pimps arrested

RACINE COUNTY (WITI) -- On June 19th through the 21st, the Racine Human Trafficking Task Force participated in Operation Cross Country VIII -- a nationwide effort targeting the growing problem of human sex trafficking in the United States from June 19th through the 21st.

The operation aimed to address the sexual exploitation of juveniles as part of the national Innocence Lost Initiative.

Human sex trafficking affects communities throughout southeastern Wisconsin, both large and small. Racine has identified this as a growing local concern.

Locally, the Racine Human Trafficking Task Force partnered with numerous local jurisdictions to address sex trafficking throughout Racine and Kenosha Counties.

As a result, 13 women were recovered.

Two pimps were arrested for exploiting and trafficking women and several others continue to be under investigation.

“The local operation was successful due to the incredible cooperation from the surrounding agencies. We continue to focus on working together to recover sex trafficking victims and bring those that exploit them to justice.” said Deputy Chief Todd Schulz.

The cooperative effort included the following law enforcement agencies: Racine Human Trafficking Task Force: Racine Police Department, Racine County Sherriff’s Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Sturtevant Police Department, Caledonia Police Department, Town of Waterford Police Department, Racine County District Attorney’s Office, Kenosha County Sherriff’s Department, Kenosha Police Department, Pleasant Prairie Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations, US Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The Racine Police Department would also like to thank the Racine Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and the Federal Victims Specialist for their participation and support.

Further technical and equipment support was provided by Enforcement Technology Group, Inc (ETGI) and Specialized Wireless Advanced Technologies (S.W.A.T.).

Additional consultation and assistance was provided by the Women’s Resource Center, Safe Haven and the Racine and Kenosha County Human Service agencies.

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