Douglas County leaders, law enforcement agencies and community organizations are working to prevent exploitation, strengthen accountability for offenders and educate residents about prevention.
Through legislation, local regulations, specialized investigations and public awareness efforts, Douglas County has taken an active role in addressing human trafficking.
Douglas County’s efforts focus on four primary areas:
Douglas County supports the Preventing Trafficking of Minors Act, federal legislation introduced in 2026 to strengthen protections for children and hold traffickers and buyers accountable. The bill closes legal loopholes by clarifying that those who patronize, solicit, or engage in commercial sex acts with minors can be prosecuted, even in attempted offenses or undercover operations, and prevents offenders from claiming ignorance of a victim’s age when there was a reasonable opportunity to observe the child. As an official supporter of the legislation, Douglas County has partnered with federal lawmakers, survivor advocates, and anti-trafficking organizations to advance policies that protect children, strengthen law enforcement tools, and target the demand that fuels human trafficking.
In 2026, Douglas County leaders helped advance Senate Bill 26-015, legislation focused on crimes involving commercial sexual activity with a child.
The legislation updates Colorado law by recognizing exploited children as victims rather than participants in criminal activity. It replaces outdated terminology such as “child prostitution” with “commercial sexual activity with a child” throughout Colorado statute.
What Senate Bill 26-015 Does
Douglas County leaders also worked to help the bill advance through the legislative process by offering space within the Douglas County Jail to help avoid a fiscal impact to the state, which helped the bill progress through the Judiciary Committee
Douglas County has expanded resources dedicated to investigating Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC).
Law enforcement agencies continue seeing cases that begin with online grooming through platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, Discord, Roblox and other social media or gaming applications.
The Board of County Commissioners funded a dedicated ICAC initiative in early 2025. What began as a single investigator expanded into multiple full-time investigators across partner agencies, supported by a dedicated prosecutor and the 23rd Regional ICAC Task Force.
Douglas County was among the first local governments in Colorado to strengthen massage business licensing regulations aimed at deterring illicit massage businesses and preventing human trafficking. The updated ordinance was passed by the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 10, 2026.
The ordinance is designed to protect legitimate massage therapy businesses while improving oversight, accountability and enforcement authority related to businesses connected to trafficking or unlawful sexual activity. It also strengthened background check requirements and expanded inspection authority.
The regulations include:
During the County’s “Courageous Conversations: Our Children and the Internet” town hall, experts discussed the importance of cooperation among parents, schools, law enforcement and the community to help protect children online.
Visit our webpage to find practical safety steps parents can take today.
Residents can help protect children and vulnerable individuals by:
If you suspect human trafficking or exploitation, contact local law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Call: 1-888-373-7888
Text: 233733
Available 24/7
If a child may be in immediate danger, call 911.
