Police In Illinois, Indiana Join Forces To Battle Illegal Sex Trade
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The sheriff's departments in Cook County, Illinois, and Lake County, Indiana, have teamed up to better deal with cross-border prostitution.
Lake County Sheriff John Buncich said there are numerous examples of young women being taken across state lines for prostitution.
"We uncovered a situation that's under investigation right now in the city of Gary, where – through social media – a young lady was lured over into Lake County and was held captive for several weeks," he said.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said much of the activity has moved from the streets to the Internet.
"Both of us can sit up here, and we could spit out unfortunate horrible stories, one after another, and the number of them that have connections across the border are too many to count," he said.
Officers from both departments have been taking part in training, working together to deal with the issue, along with the FBI and federal prosecutors.
