New Arizona law mandates incarceration for luring undercover officers posing as children

PHOENIX — Advocates behind a new Arizona law say it will help keep pedophiles behind bars and off the streets.

Senate Bill 1585 passed unanimously in the state Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs last month.

State Senator Janae Shamp, who sponsored the bill, called the legislation a victory in the battle against sexual exploitation.

“Today is about the children,” Shamp said during a Tuesday press conference at the Arizona Capitol. “It’s about the lives shattered by rape, sexual abuse, manipulation and trauma all caused by disgusting predators who saw them as objects and not the innocent human beings that they are.”

How will new Arizona law fight sexual exploitation of children?

The law changes the definition of dangerous crime against children to include attempts to lure minors, even if the child is actually an undercover officer.

“If an adult tries to lure a child for sex, even if that ‘child’ is an undercover officer, they will face real consequences,” Shamp said. “No more hiding behind excuses. No more slipping through legal cracks.”

It also mandates incarceration for anyone charged with luring a minor. It ups the average sentencing for luring a minor to 10 years in prison.

Why was sexual exploitation bill necessary?

Shamp said she sponsored the legislation after learning that predators charged with luring a minor are often cited and released if they are caught in undercover investigations.

“This bill was drafted in response to two undercover sting operations over a four-week period conducted by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year,” Shamp said.

While the stings resulted in 20 arrests, at least four of the suspects were cited and released on probation because no real child was involved.

“Think about how crazy that is,” Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller said at the event. “You have an individual luring a child for sex, and they get essentially cited and released and put back in the community.”

Before this law, the typical sentence for someone convicted of luring a minor as part of an undercover operation was 24 months’ probation, he added.

“If you use an undercover police officer in a luring investigation, now that falls under the rubric of a dangerous crime against children, which means it’s prison mandatory,” Miller said.

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