 For anyone trying to go online to solicit a minor, the Bemidji Police is doing everything in their power to stop them. The Bemidji Police Department received a nearly $50,000 grant to help address the dangers of sex trafficking and the solicitation of minors. Katie Cotter has the story. The Bemidji Police Department will have help along the way as they try to combat sex trafficking and the solicitation of minors for sex in the Bemidji area. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Justice Programs awarded a $47,000 grant for the purpose to investigate sex trafficking crimes. Our goal has been to try to capture or identify those individuals that seek to do harm to children, whether it's through electronic means or text communication or even face to face communication. One can become a victim of sex trafficking, but BPD focuses on the cases related to persons under the age of 16. Some of these cases are complex and victims don't always want to come forward because of trust issues. They're kind of groomed to only trust one person, and that's the person that's in control of them. So locating the victims of this is really difficult. According to Chief Massen, the department also had an operation similar to the TV show to catch a predator. In 15 minutes, the ad received one response, and within an hour, 30 responses came through. Fair to say there were several arrested during that initial operation. This is a serious issue in Bemidji. Just this week, two men were charged with engaging in electronic communication relating or describing sexual conduct with a child. It is a big problem. It's nearly impossible to tell really how big of a problem it is because it happens so behind the scenes and it's so hidden from plain sight. Children who identify as LGBTQ are high risk since they're most likely to be kicked out of their homes because of their sexual orientation and runaway youth trade sex for food or housing. It's not easy for victims to get up and leave their abusers for many reasons. They could be scared. They could not understand what's happening to them. They might be dependent upon their trafficker for some basic needs. Last year in Minnesota, 39 sex trafficking cases were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and of those 12 involved minors. It's a matter of limiting the demand because if there is a demand, there'll be a supply. In Bemidji, Haiti Clutter, Lakeland News. Support within reach is one of the many resources available to victims of sex trafficking. Anyone seeking help can remain anonymous for advocacy, housing, and mental health services. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.