Bloomington sting leads to trafficking arrests, help for 3 sex workers

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Bloomington Police Department sex trafficking operation netted the arrest of two men for promoting prostitution and helped police get help for at least three victims. Now, authorities are working to launch a task force to take on human trafficking.

Bloomington police operation

The backstory:

Bloomington police conducted a two-day operation late last month when officers posed as individuals working to "purchase" sex from sex workers.

Officers say the operation was focused on "recovery" and getting help to human trafficking victims. During the course of the operation, police say they encountered 18 sex workers.

Of those workers, three accepted support services from law enforcement. Police say they are still working with the others.

The operation also resulted in the arrests of two sex traffickers: a 50-year-old Minneapolis man and a 40-year-old Columbia Heights man.

Task force being formed

What we know:

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges was joined by Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko as they announced an effort to launch a new task force to take on human trafficking.

"I've long felt that this is an area where, unfortunately, historically, we haven't focused on," said Chief Hodges. "And because of that, we've allowed it to grow as much as it has in society. And these are real victims. These are real victims. I think now, by going after this, it's helpful. But historically… I just don't think as a society we've put the emphasis on this as much as we should."

"It's these kinds of collaborations that are important for us to make sure that we're working together, pooling our resources together to combat what we are seeing here in Minnesota," said Sheriff Witt. "The investigators in this operation spent countless hours following leads, gathering evidence, and pursuing every avenue of this investigation. Because of that work, more than a dozen victims of human trafficking have been identified and are now being connected with the support and resources."

"This is a recovery effort to identify those who are involved in this trade, who are responsible for the oversight, making the money, and provide those resources to those that might be stuck in this," added Sheriff Leko. "Because they're abused, they're victims. And at the same time, hold those that are organizing these groups accountable. And we do this through cooperation, collaboration, and we can't do this alone. We are the biggest agencies here in the state for that matter, but as you know, crime does not stay in one city or one county. So we work together, we use our expertise with the resources that we have to identify these individuals and then bring them to justice."

Big picture view:

The task force announcement followed a massive raid in Brooklyn Center where 23 people were arrested across four hotels tied to human trafficking, drug, and firearm investigations.

What's next:

Chief Hodges said he expects it will take another month or so for legal agreements to get finalized to allow the task force to move forward.

Crime and Public SafetyBloomingtonDakota CountyHennepin County