TAMPA, Fla. - One hundred and seventy-one people were arrested, and one teenage girl was rescued during the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s ‘Operation Unmasking Predators’.

The backstory:

In July, Sheriff Chronister met with investigators and asked them to focus their efforts on individuals who want to exploit children in the community for sex.

He wanted to concentrate those efforts through Halloween.

"The individuals who tried to hide under the concealment of the darkness in the dark web, a light was shined upon them because of these investigators," Chronister said.

By the numbers:

The sheriff noted that there are 175 sexual predators under supervised release in the community and each one of them was in compliance and reminded that they cannot participate in any Halloween

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