The Irmo Police Department announced Monday the initial results of an ongoing multi-agency undercover chat operation that began in April and led to the arrest of 14 individuals accused of attempting to sexually exploit children online.

The operation focused on combating the online-facilitated sexual exploitation of children by utilizing undercover law enforcement officers posing as minors or adults with access to children. Through these proactive investigations, commonly known as “traveler” operations, investigators identified individuals who allegedly attempted to arrange sexual encounters with children they believed to be underage, allowing law enforcement to intervene before an actual child became a victim.

The operation was conducted in partnership with the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Laurens Police Department, South Carolina Department of Corrections, Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division – SLED, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Secret Service (USSS)

“Protecting our children remains a top priority,” said Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dale. “These investigations are proactive by design. Our goal is to identify individuals who are seeking to exploit children online and intervene before that child becomes a victim. This operation demonstrates what can be accomplished when agencies work together to keep our communities and our children safe.”