Image Credit: Tennessee National Guard / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
During a press conference on Wednesday, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch confirmed that 45 missing children have been found in the first two weeks of the Memphis Safe Task Force operation.
“As I mentioned, the reporting number is 44. We know there are 45,” said Rausch, “one was literally being reported when the surge operations had stopped the vehicle and that child was in this vehicle.”
Brian Callies, the CEO of a local nonprofit called Saving Lost Kids explained just how encouraging this number really is when recovering and supporting children impacted by trafficking.
“That’s a big, big, big deal, especially what we’ve seen, because those numbers haven’t changed much. In fact, they’ve gone up,” Callies said according to ABC24. “This will be the first time — and our numbers are now changing — where we’re seeing those numbers go down, and it’s so encouraging.”
Callies said that he hopes the multi-agency approach from the Memphis Safe Task Force will continue to make an impact and bring the missing children numbers down.
“Right now, the estimated [300] to 400 missing [children] in Tennessee, those are the ones that are active missing right now,” said Callies. “[We have] got somewhere between 70–80 missing just in West Tennessee, around the Shelby County area.”
According to Callies, 90% of missing children start out as runaways and go on to be trafficked by someone they know.
The Memphis Safe Task Force is a joint operation involving both state and federal agencies including:
- The Department of the Treasury
- The Department of War
- The Department of Justice (DOJ)
- The Department of Health and Human Services
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development
- The Department of Transportation
- The Department of Homeland Security
- The United States Marshals Service
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
- The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
- The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
The task force began its work in Memphis on Monday, September 29th, per an executive order from President Donald J. Trump.
National Guard troops began patrolling Memphis as part of the operation on Friday, October 10th.
While there continues to be mixed feelings about the task force and the resulting National Guard presence in the area, locals continue to share feelings of hope that the task force will succeed in making the city a safer place to live.
The Saving Lost Kids nonprofit is currently working on providing long-term housing and care for recovered missing and trafficked children.
The nonprofit’s offered housing will be on a rural Tennessee ranch. It will include 20 homes and at first will house only girls.
Callies says they “embarked” on this mission about four years ago and that they expect to open up the housing by the end of this year.
“We started this idea of building homes for children recovered out of child sex trafficking, and to give them a true home, a true place that they feel safe,” said Callies. “To me, if I’m going to feel safe and comfortable for my family to be here, I want to know that there’s active work being done to take the bad guys out of the picture.”
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
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