Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree says he wants to put so-called "Johns" on notice.
A recent prostitution bust in Denton County led to the arrest of 17 men.
The sheriff said the men went online looking for sex and arranged to meet at a hotel off Interstate 35. When they arrived, law enforcement was waiting.
“You may not be talking to a prostitute. You may be talking to somebody who looks like me who is wearing a badge and a gun,” said Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree.
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Targeting "Johns" is one way the sheriff believes he can curb human trafficking.
“They know when they go to meet one of these individuals that it’s more than likely someone who’s either being human trafficked or who’s down on their luck and they’re taking advantage of that and they know that,” Murphree said.
New Friends, New Life is a North Texas-based resource for trafficking survivors. The CEO said human trafficking is a $99 million industry in DFW.
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“The buyer is a critical piece of the puzzle. Sex trafficking does not work if there is not the demand,” said the organization’s CEO Bianca Davis. “Holding buyers accountable is just as important as holding the trafficker and the seller accountable for this crime.”
Sheriff Murphree said county commissioners approved his request to fund a human trafficking task force two years ago.
His investigators worked on this latest operation with the Department of Homeland Security, Texas Department of Public Safety, Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, Texas Attorney General's Office and the Lewisville police department.
He said the public should expect more operations in the future.
“We’ve arrested preachers, police officers, executives,” said Murphree. “Folks you see every day who are engaging in this activity and it’s up to us to put a stop to it.”
