Bloomington Police detailing a record 30 arrests in the city’s latest human trafficking sting.
Chief Booker Hodges revealed that the two-day operation dubbed "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places," nabbed suspects from various professional backgrounds including a federal background investigator for ICE and Homeland Security, and a former clergy member.
"One thing that we have to realize is that even though you don't see it, if we were not conducting these operations, it'd be even more rampant than it is now," Hodges explained.
While the majority of suspects face gross misdemeanor charges, investigators are now aggressively pursuing a lead on a potential sex trafficker identified during the operation to dismantle what they're calling a larger criminal network.
The "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places," operation saw a massive surge in activity with over 350 individuals attempting to solicit sex from undercover decoys in just 48 hours last week.
"That that's a lot of people, 300, over 300 and something people that we chatted with in two days," Hodges explained. "That's a lot of people, but just be rest assured, and I just want to get this out here too. Despite the fact that we got this operation going on, we still got work to do and we're still going to arrest people for this."
He says he believe suspects are becoming more emboldened by shifting law enforcement priorities under "Operation Metro Surge", warning that those trying to "go underground" in Bloomington will find themselves in custody.