A Growing Problem In Amarillo? Solicitation Of A Minor Rising.

There is admittedly a lot of crime that happens in Amarillo. We're approaching 30 murders on the year, people are still stealing catalytic converters, and it seems that a lot of warrants are being served for traffic violations, and it feels like drug busts are at an all-time high.

However, there's one thing that seems to be quietly becoming an issue in the city. I say quietly because it seems like a bust will happen, then it just disappears into the night and no one ever seems to talk about it again.

The problem with this is that it's a HUGE issue, and it makes it scary to be a parent in the city. On December 2nd, three arrests were made here in Amarillo in regard to the solicitation of a minor. My guess is that you probably didn't even hear about this unless you make looking at the news a daily thing.

It has a tendency to be a crime that almost gets swept under the rug. It doesn't happen with the frequency of drug busts or murders it seems, but it's a problem that is happening more than we think.

In 2022, there have been numerous arrests in Amarillo and surrounding areas due to sting operations police are putting into place. Just a quick search of it turns up three different sting operations that resulted in arrests, but I think we all know this is happening more than the three operations that were publicized.

For those of us with kids, it's scary. Social media, chat rooms, things like Discord, etc. are a major way of communication for kids these days, and no matter how much you police it, the only way to ensure kids can't get to this stuff is to take away every possible device and means they have to access it. It's just not feasible, unfortunately.

There are many predators out there, and it seems Amarillo has quite a few. Let's not forget about the teachers that have gone bad and are having relationships with students. It's time we take a stand and get this to stop in Amarillo.