Tempe, Mesa police arrest 25 suspects in child sex crime sting
Jul 22, 2019, 12:25 PM | Updated: 4:04 pm
(Pixabay Photo)
(Pixabay Photo)
PHOENIX — The Tempe and Mesa police departments arrested more than two dozen men in a child sex crimes sting, it was announced Monday.
A Tempe police spokesman said officers placed ads on websites and apps commonly used for illegal solicitation.
“The suspects then respond to the ads and respond to a specific location, then are taken into custody for various charges,” Detective Greg Bacon told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
The 25 suspects ranged in age from 19 to 63 years old.
The police departments worked with Homeland Security Investigations and the Attorney General’s Office for the sting, called Operation Summer Shield.
“The message I would say to parents is be very, very aware of the applications, the social media, the websites that children are using,” Bacon said.
“Set parental controls as appropriate, and have the difficult conversations with your children about these topics to keep them safe from potential predators.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Raegen Petzold contributed to this report.
