Staying Ahead: How Technology and Tenacity Drive Child Sex Trafficking Investigations

by Louise Reeves, Inspector II, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office

Louise Reeves, Inspector II at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, has been investigating human trafficking cases for over a decade. Her journey into this work began while she was with the Pittsburg Police Department, where she uncovered trafficking involving runaway juveniles leaving group homes. In those early days, Reeves didn’t have access to tools like Spotlight. “We were on our own, scouring ads on websites like Redbook and Backpage—literally scrolling through Backpage to find connections.” That changed in 2015, when Spotlight entered the picture. “It was a game-changer. At the time, it didn’t have image search, but even being able to search phone numbers and making links through charts saved us so much time.”

Since then, Reeves has continued her work at the Alameda County DA’s office, where she’s spent the last six and a half years investigating human trafficking cases. Over that time, the cases—and the challenges—have evolved.

The Changing Landscape of Child Sex Trafficking Investigations

Staying ahead of traffickers is one of Reeves’ biggest challenges. “The hardest part is the time—it feels like we’re always one step behind with these new platforms and the changing lingo being used.” But Spotlight has been instrumental in helping her stay ahead. “Just last week, a local agency couldn’t find any ads related to their case. They didn’t know about Spotlight, but we dropped in the information we had and immediately found all her ads.”

A Case That Stuck with Her

One particular case from 2022 left a lasting impression on Reeves. “We had two defendants in custody—a man and a woman—for trafficking a 19-year-old. We seized their phones, but the messages on one didn’t make any sense. Then, we found a second victim through one of the phones which we later learned belonged to a 16-year-old girl that we did not know about. The defendant had taken the phone from the juvenile and had it in his possession at the time of his arrest.” Using Spotlight, Reeves and her team used information from the phone to locate ads for the 16-year-old in both Texas and her local area. “Thanks to that lead, we connected with Dallas, and they were able to recover her. It was one of those moments where everything clicked.”

The Value of Spotlight in Building Stronger Cases

For Reeves, the ability to use Spotlight has revolutionized her work. “It cuts out so much of the tedious labor. I had a reputation from my old job for scrolling through endless ads, there was no privacy screen on my computer and I worked in a shared area—Spotlight saves at least 80% of that time and now has a privacy feature. With the time saved, we can dive deeper into the data, write more thorough warrants, and search social media more effectively. It allows us to build stronger cases.”

Motivated by a Personal Mission

Reeves is deeply committed to her work, driven by both personal and professional experiences. “When I started doing this, my daughter was 14—the same age as many of the victims we were finding. My very first trafficking victim was my friend’s niece. That hit home for me.” She emphasizes that trafficking isn’t limited to a specific demographic. “It’s not just foster youth or a certain type of kid—it can happen to anyone. I’ve gotten to know parents through this work, and it’s been eye-opening to see just how vulnerable young girls are, no matter their background.”

Looking to the Future

Despite the challenges, Reeves remains hopeful and committed. “It frustrates me that there are people in this work who think it’s okay to exploit the young and the vulnerable, but that’s exactly why I do this work. Tools like Spotlight make it easier for us to step in and stop them before they can hurt someone else. This fight will never be easy, but with the right tools and the right mindset, we can make a difference.”

Learn about the signs of online grooming and how trafficking can begin for a teen. Click here to download our free guide and how you can take next steps to get involved in finding kids faster.