LAKELAND, Fla. — One More Child partnered with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Attorney General’s Office and multiple law enforcement agencies during a seven-day undercover operation targeting child predators and human trafficking that resulted in 281 arrests.
“These predators are out there, online, trying to groom and violate our children,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
During the operation, One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking Team engaged with 93 individuals and potential survivors of human trafficking, providing support and access to specialized services. Through these efforts, One More Child connected survivors with immediate care and resources to begin their journey toward healing and restoration.
“Operations like this are critical to identifying victims of exploitation and protecting vulnerable children,” said One More Child President and CEO Stephen Robert. “We are grateful to Sheriff Grady Judd, Attorney General James Uthmeier and the many law enforcement professionals who work tirelessly to protect our communities. Through these critical partnerships, we can help survivors heal from the trauma of exploitation and build a future filled with hope and opportunity.”
One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking Mobile Teams provide Christ-centered, trauma-competent care to survivors of human trafficking. Services include immediate, tangible resources, clinical care, mentorship and ongoing support to help survivors navigate the challenges associated with exploitation. The teams also include survivor mentors, individuals with lived experience who have survived exploitation and now help others navigate their own journeys toward healing.
“Our work continues beyond the operation,” said Senior Director of Anti-Trafficking Operations Syney Dressler. “Every life is valuable. Every person deserves dignity, and no one should be defined by the hardest moment of their life.”
One More Child regularly partners with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in operations to identify victims of human trafficking and provide specialized care and resources, both immediately following recovery and in the months that follow.
In 2025, One More Child partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service, multiple law enforcement agencies and other organizations during Operation Home for the Holidays, which resulted in the recovery of 122 missing or endangered children.
One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking operations extend to North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, and Texas.
About One More Child:
One More Child meets the needs of foster children, hungry children, single moms, struggling families, sex-trafficked children and vulnerable adults nationally and globally. Last year, One More Child provided direct services to 284,958 children and individuals while impacting an additional 126,272 individuals through advocacy, trainings, awareness and volunteering. One More Child provided more than 13.7 million meals nationally and globally. For more information, visit www.onemorechild.org.
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Courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General
Following a press conference at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, leaders with One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking Team meet with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.