Louisiana Arrests 35 in Online Sex Offender Sweep
Operation Safe Networks, run from August through October, targeted registered offenders accused of illegally using social networking sites.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Sex Crimes
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Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced 35 arrests in Operation Safe Networks, conducted by the Orleans Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Authorities also reported suspected violations of failure-to-register rules and sexual abuse of animals.
Why it matters
The operation enforces a Louisiana law barring sex offenders sentenced for offenses against children from using social networking sites, a restriction aimed at reducing online access to potential victims. Officials say the effort reflects growing reliance on digital platforms by offenders and the volume of reports received from national monitoring sources.
Thirty-five people have been arrested on suspected violations of Louisiana's social-networking restriction for sex offenders, along with failure-to-register and sexual-abuse-of-animals allegations. Charging decisions and court proceedings for the arrested individuals were not detailed in the announcement.
The players
Liz Murrill
Louisiana Attorney General who announced the arrests and oversees the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force through her office.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
A nonprofit that operates the CyberTipline, the national clearinghouse through which online child exploitation reports are forwarded to law enforcement.
The details
The Orleans Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the operation from August through October, targeting accounts on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Discord, Telegram, Snapchat and YouTube. The attorney general's office coordinates the statewide Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force that ran the effort.
Timeline
August through October 2026: Operation Safe Networks is conducted across Louisiana.
2026: Law enforcement receives more than 46,000 tips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Legal Context
The operation enforces Louisiana's ban on social-media use by child-offense sex offenders, a restriction that has been used to target online access by registered offenders. Enforcement of such laws depends on platform-level reporting and task-force investigations rather than routine monitoring.
Parents and guardians in Louisiana may want to review which platforms their children use, since the operation identified offender activity across many widely used apps. Anyone who suspects online exploitation can report it to the CyberTipline run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The takeaway
Online safety for children depends on both platform reporting and public tips, so monitoring which apps a child uses and reporting suspected exploitation promptly can help.
Further reading
Explore more reporting on Sex Crimes cases and enforcement across Louisiana.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fox8live.
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