PUBLIC SAFETY

'She looked 18. She's not.' Anti-sex trafficking ads launch ahead of Indy 500

Public safety officials warn that large crowds at this year's race could attract an abusive and illegal sex trade.

Jill Disis, and Kara Berg
IndyStar
New billboards that address sex trafficking are seen in Indianapolis, Tuesday, May 24, 2016. This one is on 16th Street west of Tibbs, near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 is on track to draw the race's largest crowds in years.

As hundreds of thousands of visitors pour into the city this weekend, law enforcers warn that massive attendance could bring something darker, too: an illicit commercial sex industry fueled by human trafficking.

The prevalence of sex trafficking in Indianapolis isn't limited to major events, experts say. Big cities and metropolitan areas host such activity year-round.

But public safety officials caution that the sheer scale of the 500 will almost certainly bring an increase in customers for the sex trade — an industry where victims as young as 12 or 14 can be recruited, coerced or forced into prostitution.

"It's very much a supply-and-demand type of thing," said Sgt. Jon Daggy, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detective who worked on the vice unit for years. "The traffickers are going to bring their girls or guys to that area because there's more money to make."

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The likelihood of human trafficking abuse at the Indy 500 led authorities this month to launch an awareness campaign featuring billboards, bus advertisements and fliers dispelling myths about the industry. One message reads: "She looked 18. She's not."

U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler and Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller are co-chairs of the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans task force, which is leading the campaign.

“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and preys on the most vulnerable in our society,” Minkler said in a statement announcing the campaign. "Sexually exploiting children for profit is not just morally wrong, it is illegal and those who engage in it will be identified, investigated, prosecuted and sentenced to decades in federal prison.”

New billboards that address human trafficking are seen in Indianapolis, Tuesday, May 24, 2016.  This one is on 30th Street east of Georgetown.

The men and women behind sex trafficking operations, Daggy said, often select victims by preying on their vulnerabilities and offering a lifestyle that seems glamorous.

"One thing criminals are is opportunists, first and foremost," he said. "He's going to pull her into a really fast-occurring relationship. He's going to tell her he loves her, but he's going to say, 'I need you to make money for me. If you love me, you'll do it.'"

The abusers, Daggy said, don't care about the ages of their victims: "As long as she looks like she can make money."

The nature of sex trafficking can make numbers hard to track, said Daggy, who added that the physical and emotional abuse often mimics the kind seen in victims of domestic violence. Many find they can't escape their abusers. Others may leave relationships but later return.

"A lot of times, they move around freely," IMPD Chief Troy Riggs said. "They have been talked to and dealt with so long, some of them think this is a normal lifestyle. That's what's so traumatic."

According to Polaris, a Washington, D.C.-based anti-trafficking nonprofit, the group's National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline has received nearly 15,000 reports of sex trafficking cases in the United States since 2007. Polaris also recorded 317 cases of sex trafficking in Indiana from 2007 through the end of March.

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"It takes on a lot of different forms," said Courtney Walsh, a Polaris regional specialist in Indiana. "Traffickers are savvy."

Sex trafficking involving minors, Daggy said, is usually disguised as regular prostitution. He said IMPD's vice unit usually finds victims by scouring classified sections online.

During last year's NCAA Final Four championship, held in Downtown Indianapolis, Zoeller's office found more than 100 ads per day offering "escort services" on the website backpage.com. Authorities made 18 commercial sex-related arrests during the event.

While it can be difficult to recognize sex trafficking, Daggy said there are some signs that hint toward such activity. He suggested hotel workers watch for anything suspicious, such as a grown man walking with young girls who are clearly unrelated to him.

"This is an issue we all need to be aware of and educated on," Walsh said. "And we all need to work together to make sure we have a coordinated community response to this."

Call IndyStar reporter Jill Disis at (317) 444-6137. Follow her on Twitter:@jdisis.

Call IndyStar reporter Kara Berg at (317) 444-6179 . Follow her on Twitter: @karaberg95.