The demonstration that investigators recently conducted comes as part of an effort by candidate for attorney general, Betty Montgomery, to make targeting these predators a top priority.
Montgomery wants to take the success of Xenia’s detectives and their online stings and spread it across the state.
Detectives said they call the men they are targeting travelers because they will come from other states. Xenia police have arrested men from as far away as Massachusetts and Texas.
Montgomery said expanding this effort will send a message to online predators. The goal is to get the word out that Ohio takes this very seriously and will not tolerate it.
So far, Xenia police have made 85 arrests.
Under Montgomery’s plan, the state would provide special education and technical help to other police departments to conduct similar online sting operations.