WPD PARTICIPATES IN "OPERATION 614"

MULTI-AGENCY PARTNERSHIP LEADS TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARRESTS

In mid-April, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced a multi-agency operation was carried out in Columbus and surrounding suburbs targeted on human trafficking. The Westerville Division of Police (WPD) was one of 20 participating law enforcement agencies involved in addressing issues that fuel sex trafficking in Central Ohio.

Coordinated through AG Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, “Operation 614” led to the identification of 53 victims and the arrests of 93 arrest trafficking suspects.

“Operation 614 is the latest in a long series of efforts to push back against human trafficking in Ohio,” said Yost. “I am so proud of our law enforcement partners, who with their boots on the ground made this operation a success. We all look forward to that day when no person is bought or sold for sex in Ohio.”

The operation included identifying victims of human trafficking and referring them to social services and apprehending those seeking to have sex with a minor and/or seeking to buy sex.

For the first time in Ohio, those seeking to purchase sex were charged with engaging in prostitution, a misdemeanor of the first degree. This charge was created under House Bill 431, which became effective in April. Under the new law, an offender will be required to attend an education or treatment program aimed at preventing a person from inducing, enticing or procuring another to engage in sexual activity for hire. During the operation, the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force and police departments from Columbus, Dublin, New Albany and Westerville worked collaboratively to identify victims of human trafficking. Victims were linked with advocates and social services provided by the Salvation Army.

“We support all efforts to end the problem of human trafficking. Human trafficking and prostitution are crimes that impact individuals but also the community as a whole. We are committed to doing everything possible to rescue victims in these cases and provide resources for their recovery,” said WPD Chief Charles Chandler. “We won’t stop working to identify the people who force them into these situations and hold them accountable for their actions.”

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) targeted and apprehended those seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors. Since its inception, WPD has appointed a full-time investigator to the ICAC Task Force.

Chief Chandler said the community learned first-hand that human trafficking exists everywhere, including suburban communities, when WPD made arrests in 2018 after months of investigating local massage establishments.

“WPD has been on the front lines of combating human trafficking, and we’ll continue to be involved in any investigation we can to help minimize the dangers of these crimes and the lives it destroys.”