x
Breaking News
More () »

APD's human trafficking unit slows down after Backpage shuts down

The Austin Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit is slowing down -- pausing some of its investigations after the website Backpage was shut down.

Austin — The Austin Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit is slowing down -- pausing some of its investigations after the website Backpage was shut down.

Sergeant Kevin Covington oversees the unit. He said while it's a good thing the Attorney General's office shut down the site, it's also made it more difficult to track criminals.

Police continued searching to see where the criminals are going next because the illegal activities haven't stopped.

"The thing that made Backpage so popular was that there was so much traffic on it. Prostitution online is at an all time high. The girls who are in this line of work are in the hundreds of thousands maybe millions in the US.," said Sgt. Covington.

APD's human trafficking unit is now monitoring several unnamed websites for human trafficking.

Before You Leave, Check This Out