Over two days at the end of June, Abilene police partnered with other law enforcement to arrest 13 people who had online interactions that were sexual in nature with people they thought were minors. Some of the suspects were arrested as they traveled to an arranged meeting with the supposed child. The sting was the result of a collaboration between the Abilene Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Unit and the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division.
It was the biggest single day arrest, but for the last two years, law enforcement in Abilene has been zeroing in on people who target kids online, and those who are engage in child pornography.
On August 8th, the Abilene Police Department and partnering agencies will host a Community Conversation at Southern Hills Church of Christ. The meeting is aimed at educating parents and other community members on how to keep kids safe online. Organizers stress that they do not want children at the event.