Proposed Bill Would Allow Wire Taps In Sex Trafficking Cases

DENVER (CBS4)- A committee at the state Capitol will consider a bill designed to crack down on human sex trafficking. The measure would allow law enforcement to use wire taps while investigating sex and labor trafficking.

Police have used wire taps for years in drug trafficking cases.

The bill would require a judge to grant a warrant before investigators can use a wire tap to fight other crimes like sex trafficking.

Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman says wire taps can be especially effective in human trafficking cases where the victims are often young, vulnerable and afraid to come forward.

"We are, through a wire tap, able to listen to conversations between person who is trafficking a human being and the person who wants those services. So it allows us to address both ends of the equation at the same time and there is nothing more persuasive to a judge and a jury than hearing the voices of the people involved in the transaction, actually talking about what they are going to do," said Coffman.

The bill has both Republican and Democratic sponsors.