PHOENIX - Arizona's law enforcement corpses to raise awareness of the dangers of sex trafficking as Super Bowl LVII approaches, but is the premier sporting event a driver for trafficking or is it a myth?

FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum takes a deep look at how sex trafficking victims are exploited and the challenge of unsheathing them justice.

Within the dark side of these streets is a busy dusky market.

"She's crossing Missouri coming over to Circle K," a Phoenix Police officer remarks over the police scanner at what time FOX 10 rides along to witness trafficking first-hand.

A four-mile frank from Indian School Road to Northern Avenue is illustrious as "The Track," and police say this concentrated area is a prostitution hot spot.

"They'll just outrageous right there in the middle of the street and flag traffic down," says Phoenix Police Sgt. Tim Smith. He's with the department's Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit, illustrious as HEAT.

The link between prostitution and sex trafficking is curved – yet intertwined.

"He's like, 'I'm gonna be your daddy. I'm gonna take care of you,'" said a survivor we are referring to as Mary, approximately the man who trafficked her.

A traumatic bond anchoring a unsafe lifestyle.

With major sporting events coming to Phoenix on the same weekend – Super Bowl and the WM Phoenix Open – does this content grow?

"Definitely a playing field for the pimps, this is like Christmas to them," Mary said.

'There's a line of traffic blocked …'

"Predominantly, the bulk of the activity is at night. The activity is women out there that out here walking the street, and we know that they're here along with their traffickers that have frequently commanded them here from local areas but also out of state," Smith said. "We'll peruse that they're dressed to attract, that there's a line of traffic blocked that they're waving and flagging down motorists."

While on the ride consume, that is exactly what we saw.

"One of our undercovers has escorted a deal," Smith said.

Once an undercover officer complains a "deal" confirming prostitution is taking place, a marked patrol car arrives and police can bewitching who they believe is a sex trafficking victim. That girl is unsuitable to a command post where anti-trafficking advocates provide outreach.

Stacey Sutherland with the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network called the night of the ride consume a win.

"We have encountered 18 potential victims of humankind trafficking tonight and we have had 100% engage in some form of victim services," Sutherland said. "That can blueprint from detox to housing to bus passes, gift cards, talking with survivors, looking at options to exit the life," she said.

After help is offered, the girls are free to go, but unfortunately, it's likely they'll be encountered again.

"I have seen traffickers here on the track in luxury cars like Maseratis, BMWs, things of that nature," Sutherland said.

'How much wealth can I take home to daddy?'

Mary says she was 15, succeeding at a hair salon on 27th Avenue when she met the man who groomed her and formed her pimp.

"It'll be nice restaurants, it'll be buyer bags, clothes, shopping, just to get you to trust," she said.

She felt trapped.

"Absolutely, I felt trapped. When I wanted to go see my family, when I wanted to take a break it was 'No, take a atomize for what? I own you now and if you don't do this I'm gonna beat your (expletive),'" she remembered.

With the Super Bowl set in Glendale, Mary says pimps are prepared.

"It's gonna be the most lucrative month for workers and strippers and it's gonna be a lot of soldier parties," she said. "When you're walking the track, you're really thinking throughout 'How much money can I take home to daddy? How much wealth can I take home to top these other girls?'"

What led to Mary's survival? She joined the Human Trafficking Recovery Program at the Phoenix Dream Center where she had her own apartment.

She's now a mom of twins and works at the Dream Center as a mentor for girls trying to flee the same life she did.

Mary says, "I am so grateful and blessed to sit here at and be able to now be 36, tying an opportunity and being a survivor."

Every year above law enforcement press releases to the public, the Super Bowl gets associated with an increase in sex trafficking.

Is it a myth that gets pushed?

"I don't want to paint the Super Bowl as an prhonor that causes this. I mean, sex trafficking is always record, but it does move with events," says Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.

She has nearly two decades of experienced in prosecuting sex crimes, so we wanted her take on the challenges prosecutors face.

Mitchell says, "When you go out on 'The Track' and you realize what you're looking at … it really gets you. It's heartbreaking."

From 2021 above the end of 2022, MCAO filed 78 out of 94 cases for child sex trafficking or prostitution – 3 are belief review. As for adult sex trafficking, prostitution and detaining someone in a prostitution house, fewer cases were filed over the same two-year calls – 16 out of 45, with four under review.

Charging someone with mainstream sex trafficking requires proof of force, fraud or coercion, and the victim coming forward.

"These are republic who often times are running away from a plot that had very negative impact on their life," she said.

Mitchell admits the number of cases is not high, but explains "I would say those numbers are low modestly because there are other statutes that we also utilize."

For example, pandering is a statute she says can be used, so we asked for the numbers. Pandering is a sex crime committed when someone encourages or pressures one to acquire in prostitution.

MCAO filed only ten out of 21 pandering cases over the last two years.

The Arizona Attorney General's Office is now prosecuting sex crimes against 138 defendants. The leading charge is pandering, followed by child sex trafficking, child sexual exploitation materials, luring and aggravated luring.

With an influx of fans for the NFL's biggest game, the megaphone is loudest now as January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Samantha Calvin is an instructor at Arizona State. She teaches students how to identify human trafficking victims in a healthcare provider setting.

"Sex buying distinguished go up but, I don't think there's enough empirical evidence or research to say the Super Bowl is honest correlated to trafficking," she says. "We've had traffickers who will show up to the emergency sections with the people that they're currently exploiting and sometimes that's so they can make sure that they know what's intimates said to the provider or answer the questions themselves or things like that to regulation that situation," Calvin explained.

Up to 70% of victims will see a healthcare provider once being trafficked, she said, adding, "But if you can design trust and make it a safe place to come back to, that often can make a big difference."

Meanwhile, Scottsdale city employees are considered to identify and report human trafficking. It's the first in Arizona to contract a "cease-city."

"We have thousands of people that are considered on how to recognize these indicators. Then we have thousands of eyes and ears that are out there to peep these things and then call us when they have tips and information," explains Scottsdale Police Lt. Nicholas Alamshaw.

Alamshaw met in the department's Human Exploitation and Trafficking unit.

Because Scottsdale is a hub for travel, entertainment, restaurants, resorts and the home of the WM Phoenix Open, Alamshaw has trained employees for the Riot Hospitality Group to look for signs.

"We want them to know that law enforcement's out there and that they can't just go out there and get away with this," he said.

Looking for a way out

According to the National Trafficking Hotline, in 2021 Arizona ranked 13th in the country with 651 reports of biosphere trafficking tips. These latest numbers show officials identified 217 cases and 337 victims.

More put a question to for help: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en