A law enforcement operation aimed identifying individuals involved in the sexual abuse and exploitation of children resulted in the arrest of 15 individuals in October and November in Washington.

According to the Washington State Patrol, 11 individuals were arrested in the multi-agency “Net Nanny” operation conducted in Longview at the end of October2023. The operation resulted in an extension into Renton on Nov. 9 that produced an additional four arrests.

According to the state patrol, the efforts involved more than 50 law enforcement staff and agencies including the Renton Police Department, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and more.

One of the suspects arrested included a 31-year-old Renton man, according to the news release. Additional arrestees in the October-November operations ranged from Seattle to Vancouver, WA.

The operations utilized undercover detectives to lure in and arrest “would-be predators,” according to the state patrol, which led the investigation.

“[The task force’s] primary mission during the operation is to proactively target those persons involved in child abuse and child exploitation via the internet,” according to the state patrol.

The Washington State Patrol Missing and Exploited Children Task Force serves as a state law enforcement agency aimed at finding and recovering sexually exploited children and apprehending child predators. Through the task force’s multi-agency operations, including federal, state, and local law enforcement, and prosecutorial offices, the task force runs “Net Nanny” throughout Washington.

The October-November operation serves as the task force’s 21st operation since the task force’s first operation in August 2015.