Detective Michael Russo, Chandler Police Department
Nick Lembo, Street Grace/AATN



This is quite possibly the single greatest weapon in reducing CSEC demand in the marketplace and is made available through Street Grace to law enforcement at no cost to their agencies. The Transaction Intercept (TI) disrupts transactions before they occur using an award-winning artificial intelligence chatbot. It also carries the ability to intercept buyers with human-2-human interaction. By posting decoy ads on websites where trafficking frequently takes place, the program disrupts tens of thousands of calls and texts. Augmented intelligence best describes the Street Grace initiative: The Transaction Intercept (TI) program is engineered to identify and pursue the buyers of commercial sex while eroding their notion of anonymity. Using the artificial intelligence chatbot named Gracie, patrols run 24/7 during a designated period exposing buyers, and capturing key information that allows the bot to determine their risk level and create reports for law enforcement to determine follow-up. When the intent to purchase a minor is confirmed, Gracie communicates the risks and consequences of their actions to the potential buyer. Additionally, Transaction Intercept provides buyers with trauma and therapy resources to aid them in taking the first step to stop risky practices and find help for sexual addictions. At any time the AI/ Human Interface aspect of the program allows users to take over the conversation from Gracie and further establish the buyer’s intent such as purchase of a minor, a girl/boy/trans, or adult. The human-to-human communication option provides our Street Grace Cyber Teams to use scripted responses to bring another level of understanding where men speak directly to men who are potential buyers to help them understand the truth about victims of commercial sex. Citizen advocates are trained and supervised to report certain information to local law enforcement to increase their surveillance of communities. Our Cyber Teams are male volunteers who are actively disrupting commercial sex trafficking through man-to-man conversations with potential buyers who contact prostitution ads online. These teams are comprised of ordinary men working together to stop the buying and selling of vulnerable people. We train men to understand the causes and solutions to sexual exploitation and to leverage their voices to speak up for the voiceless. Template responses are provided regarding the realities of what a victim’s experience is while they are under the control of a trafficker. Other links provide videos showing examples of victims’ experience while being sold. There are links to different websites emphasizing laws for purchasers of sex in their specific state to help them understand that their lives will be permanently affected if they are caught in a purchase attempt. They also receive links to therapeutic websites to help them overcome sexual addictions.