Spotlight helps find kids faster.

“It is the greatest tool we have in the fight against human trafficking.”

— Special Agent, Wisconsin Human Trafficking Task Force

latest impact

Our web-based tool is now used by over 5,000 officers in all 50 states and Canada. According to our most recent survey, it is helping find more human trafficking victims, faster. Spotlight has been used in 21,044 cases — identifying 12,328 adults, 5,791 children, and 6,553 traffickers in the past two years. With only a 25% response rate, we’re confident these numbers represent the low end of our impact.

Over the past year, reports show that we are identifying on average 8 kids per day and that law enforcement who use Spotlight daily see a 65% time savings in their process. This combination of streamlining workflows and increasing successful victim identification is what has propelled Spotlight to its large user base.

Empowering law enforcement to collaborate beyond jurisdictions or national borders, is a key to success in identifying victims who are moved frequently, or are broadcast in P2P on the dark web from a hidden location. Hear more from our Product Manager.

*All data from September 2016 & September 2017 Spotlight user surveys covering the previous 12 months.

18,119

victims identified

5,791

children identified

6,553

traffickers identified

top 5 states

Used by 5,000+ officers, 1,430 agencies, in all 50 states and Canada, Spotlight assisted in the investigation of 21,044 cases. Widespread adoption creates an unprecedented ability for law enforcement to collaborate across jurisdictions to find victims faster.

the challenge

The internet has made it easier for children to be bought and sold online. There are more than 150,000 escort ads posted every day in this country. Somewhere in that pile of data are children who are bought and sold online for sex. When we surveyed underage sex trafficking victims, 3 out of 4 who entered the life in the past decade said they had been advertised online at some point in their trafficking situation. How can law enforcement sift through massive amounts of data to focus their time on the most vulnerable victims?

Our Approach

Law enforcement doesn’t have enough time to navigate the online commercial sex market to find children and identify their traffickers. Spotlight takes this massive amount of data and turns it into an asset for law enforcement. The objective of Spotlight is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of domestic sex trafficking investigations and increase the number of women and children who are identified and connected with help resources. Learn more about Spotlight.

It is the Google Search for combating human sex trafficking. I get results fast allowing me to to gather important evidence and information in minutes compared to hours.

InvestigatorNew York

This tool will allow us to conduct faster, more precise investigations that will remove criminals from the street and, most importantly, recover victims.

Special AgentHawaii

Spotlight not only helps us to identify victims, but it also gives us a larger picture of where the crime is being committed...and the immense scope of the crime.

InvestigatorGeorgia

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