Why Shreveport authorities lure predators in true crime docuseries ‘SOSA Undercover’

DISCLAIMER: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The City of Shreveport is the home base of the new season of YouTube docuseries “SOSA Undercover,” where sting operations uncover the pressing issue of the sexual abuse of minors.

This is the second time the nonprofit organization “Safe from Online Sex Abuse” (SOSA) has launched an operation in Shreveport, partnering with the Shreveport Police Department (SPD).

SPD explains how sting operations in Shreveport can help prevent someone from being trafficked to other major cities in the USA.

Corporal Chris Bordelon shares, “Due to Shreveport’s regional location, we do have a lot of trafficking that comes through here. We are home of Interstate 20 and Interstate 49, and most of your narcotics and human trafficking at some point in time has touched Interstate 20 or Interstate 49. Everything that makes it up to the eastern seaboard. This could actually stop someone from being trafficked in Atlanta or being trafficked in Chicago or New York City.”

Setting the trap

To tackle this task, SOSA assembled a team of volunteers led by founder Roo Powell, who is actively involved in guiding adults through the process of posing as underage decoys. Digital Artist, Vanessa “V” Cartwright, is the digital artist, her role is photo manipulation and creating a realistic visual for the trap.

This season, Ariel Winter, who plays Alex Dunphy in hit TV show “Modern Family”, volunteers and leads an operation posing as an underage sex worker.

In addition to a team of other volunteers putting their faces on the line to help bring justice to adults searching to take advantage of children online.

These adults pretend to be minors in various scenarios, such as living with their parents or working as underage street workers. One even poses as a young teen looking to understand their sexuality and faces uncertainty. When a potential interest calls, they disclose their false age as a minor to see if the other person expresses interest in a meetup.

SOSA says, thankfully, the majority of online daters step away when the minor age is revealed, however, far too many take the bait and arrange a meetup. That is when they set the trap.

SPD says in a Facebook statement, “Now that our recent operation has concluded, we’re able to shed more light on how we are actively working to eliminate the sexual trafficking of minors in our region. In partnership with SOSA, we have arrested individuals who sought to exploit our most vulnerable. What you’re about to see is behind the scenes—a look into the dedication, coordination, and efforts driving this vital work.”

The true crime documentary sends viewers on an intense and heart-racing journey of the struggles of capturing predators and the work officers and nonprofit organizations put in to combat the issue.

Is it legal?

How can this work be done by a nonprofit? SOSA says online ” [We are] a nonprofit organization that works directly with law enforcement on undercover operations to identify and apprehend perpetrators of sex abuse and trafficking. Our work only occurs in conjunction with ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) law enforcement officers and parameters from the district attorney’s office, and is not vigilantism. As a result, all of our collected evidence follows legal guidelines for prosecution — currently resulting in a 100% conviction rate for all adjudicated cases.”

“SOSA Undercover” not only provides gripping insight into real-life cases but also aims to educate viewers about the complexities of sex trafficking and the efforts to combat it.

People can catch the full season on YouTube, following the journey of the SOSA team as they work tirelessly to make a difference in Shreveport and beyond.

As the episodes progress, Shreveport stands as a beacon of hope in the fight to protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation.