Human traffickers are turning childrens hunger, desperation and need for affection into tools of exploitation, a city police sergeant warned after his dedicated units first year brought dozens of survivors to safety.
The Aurora Police Department (APD) Unit opened 53 investigations, arrested 28 suspects and recovered 29 survivors, including 15 minors, in its first year.Â
APD Sgt. Joseph Sullivan told Fox News Digital the work is exposing abuse that residents may never suspect is happening around them.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (), “human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.”
“It is happening in our backyard, not just in those other places,” Sullivan said.
For Sullivan, one teenage girls plea captures both the urgency of that mission and the difficult road survivors face reach them.
The 16-year-old had been brought to Aurora â a city of just over 400,000 people outside â from another town by her boyfriend, who then left her there, Sullivan said.Â
Trying to survive, she was sexually exploited by people around an apartment complex in exchange for somewhere to stay, drugs or food.
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During an interview, she asked a detective to find those responsible.
“‘I really hope that you can find the people that are doing this because it really hurts what Im having to do just to survive,'” Sullivan recalled her saying.
The girl died of an overdose a few months later, he said.
Her words stayed with him.
“It really is satisfying being able to contact these survivors and then identify whos exploiting them and holding them accountable,” Sullivan said.
But reaching someone does not guarantee an immediate or lasting escape. Survivors may need repeated contact, resources and offers of help before they can find a way out, he said.
That is part of why having dedicated detectives matters.
Created in September 2025, the trafficking unit has three detectives and a supervising sergeant. Sullivan said its focus is sex trafficking involving people 21 and younger, allowing the small team to concentrate its efforts.
The investigations demand time to gather evidence, build cases and help victims feel comfortable enough to testify.
“Having a dedicated unit helps lower their overall caseload and allows them to apply the time and effort that these cases deserve,” Sullivan said.
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APD Investigations Bureau Cmdr. Marc Paolino said the unit was built to put survivors at the center of investigations while targeting those exploiting them.
“The work theyve done has made our community safer and sent a clear message that the Aurora Police Department will aggressively pursue anyone who exploits others for this type of heinous, criminal activity,” Pa
