. >> operations like these are essential to polk county sheriff grady judd and his zero tolerance policyor vice in his jurisdiction. he wants those who may see prostitution as a victimless crime to take a deeper, harder look. >> this is not some consenting adult having sex with another consenting adult for compensation. she's property. she's property to be bartered with, to be sold. >> and for every seller of sex, there's a buyer. while many jurisdictions may be more lenient on johns, men who try to buy sex here are in for a rude awakening. >> welcome to polk county. this is what we do to folks who violate the law in the county. we hook them up take them to jail. if you come to this county and try to obtain the services of a prostitute, you're going to get the full effect and force of the law. >> another one bites the dust. >> definitely something up with this cat. he's a little weird. >> outside the sting hotel, sheriff's investigators keep eyes all who come and go. >> you guys got a white male walking in the door with like a light blue dress shirt, dark slacks. >> shortly after 4:00 p.

. >> reporter: grady judd is the sheriff of neighboring polk county, known nationally for his aggressive approach to child sex predators. >> i talked to a number of these men, and they said, it's entrapment, i was totally set up. >> what else are they going to say? are they going to get on national news and say, i'm a pervert? i'm a child predator? i seek sex with little boys? no, they're not going to say that, when they tell you that, look them in the eye and say, you're a liar. what you really are is a pervert, a sexual pervert and a child predator. >> reporter: this is 32-year-old patrick holgerson, a disney street performer and vip tour guide in training. he's seen here in photo after photo posted on his facebook page. he tried to run from police, when they say he showed up to have sex with a 13-year-old boy. it was a sting. holgers to n had engaged in graphic sexual chat, even sending a picture of himself with mickey mouse and it got more explicit from there. he has pled not guilty. he too told police he was just looking out for the child. >> i was going to see if he was really doin

. >> reporter: grady judd is known nationally for his aggressive approach to child sex predators. >>talked to a number of these men and they say it's entrapment. i was totally set up. >> what else are they going to say? are they going to get on national news and say i'm a per, vert, i'm a child predator, i seek sex with little boys? no, they are not going to tell you that. when they tell you that, look them in the eye and say, you're a liar. what you really are is a pervert, a sexual pervert, and a child predator. >> reporter: this is 32-year-old patrick, a disney street performer and v.i.p. tour guide in training. he's seen here in photo after photo posted on his a facebook page. he tried to run from police when they say he showed up to have sex with a 13-year-old boy. it was a sting. he had engaged in graphic sexual chat, even sending a picture of himself with mickey mouse and a got more explicit from there. holgerson has pleaded not guilty. he, too, told police he was just looking out for the child. >> i was going to see if he was really doing this and i felt it was wrong and i wa

. >> the driving force behind sting operations like these is polk county sheriff grady judd. >> we wear them out. >> he knows many people if not most see prostitution as a victimless crime. he tells our producers he's out to change their minds. >> grace, if they could spend one evening with you and me in an undercover location, they would change their entire attitude. they would find out this is not two consenting adults. they would see the pimp in the parking lot. they would see how he takes advantage of her, how he has complete control of her life. she's property. she's property to be bartered with, to be sold. >> to begin the operation, sheriff's investigators set up in a polk county hotel. undercover agents browse internet sites. >> is that you in the pictures? >> and invite women for higher up to the hotel for a date. >> if you want bare back or something like that it's going to be extra. >> at the same time, female undercovers post fake sex ads online. this undercover has a john on the hook. just before 5:00 p.m. he arrives. the man enters the room in eager anticipation of a good

poke county sheriff grady judd is known nationally for these aggressive sex stings and that's how hevered a pattern of theme park arrests. here's a taste of his passion to take down these child sex predators. i talk to a number of these men and they said it's entrapment, i was set up. >> what else are they going to say? are they going to get on the national news and say i'm a pervert, i'm a child predator, i seek sex with little boys? no, they're not going to say that. when they tell you that, look them in the eye and say, you're a liar. what you really are is a pervert, a sexual pervert and a child predator. >> he doesn't hold back. >> he definitely does not hold back. he's very passionate about this. these aren't just allegations. there is video of some of these individuals acknowledging that they reached out to underaged kids. you will see the interrogations that take place once these stings happen and the detectives go in. they arrest them, they sit down. one individual actually confesses to molesting a young boy, just 3 1/2 weeks before the sting he was caught in. >> right, so s

polk county sheriff grady judd known nationally for aggressive sex stings.ttern of theme park arrests. here's just a taste of had his passion to take down these predators. >> i talked to a number of these men. they said it's entrapment. i was totally setup. >> what else are they going to say? get on national news and say i'm a pervert? i'm a child predator? i seek sex with him little boys? no, they're not going to say that. when this he tell that, look them in the eye and say you're a liar. what you really are is a pervert, a sexual pervert and a child predator. >> so what is the answer? how do you keep these predators from being hired in the first place? >> that's a great question. on going and intense background collection forever sure. these parks say they are doing that with all their power. however, there could be more. that brings our story right in there, as well. it's prompting action on capitol hill. we'll have that for you, as well on "ac 360" tonight at 8:00. >> you fointed out none of the crimes involved guests visiting the parks. >> that's corre

. >> meet grady judd, sheriff of polk county. in 40 years as a cop, he's waged a battle again vice crimes and human trafficking. >> we wear them out. >> to understand the sheriff's values, it's important to know a little about the place where he was born and raised. 50 years ago this stretch of central florida was a sleepy patchwork of cattle ranches and citrus groves. then came a mouse, and with it theme parks, millions of tourists, rapid development, and ultimately the business of sex for sale. >> all of a sudden we had nude dancing establishment. we had massage parlors. i'm a young deputy during part of this time, and we start fighting against this in this community because -- wait a minute, that's not the wholesome community that we wanted. >> from the outside, it may look like just another roadside oasis for wary travelers. but inside, deputies with the polk county sheriff's office are busy spinning a high-tech web to snare bears and sellers of sex. >> this is the technology hub of the operation. we've seen all our internal

polk county sheriff, grady judd, known nationally for these aggressive sex stings, and that's how were's just a taste of his passion to take down these child sex predators. i talked to a number of these men, and they said it's entrapment. i was totally set up. >> what else are they going to say? are they get to get on national news and say, "i'm a pervert?" "i'm a child predator"? "i seek sex with little boys"? no, they're not going to tell you that. when they tell you that, look them in the eye and say you're a liar. what you really are is a pervert, a sexual pervert and a child predator. >> so kyra sha, what's the answ? how do you keep them from being hired in the first place? >> it's ongoing and intense background checks. and each of the representatives at these theme parks said we are doing everything we can, putting our power behind that in doing it. but obviously, it's still not enough. and you'll see that more can be done, our story is already prompting action orthopedic surgeon capitol hill and you'll see more on "ac 360" tonight. >> you point out none of these crimes involve

we've got a sheriff there, sheriff grady judd, who years ago passed a law that allowed for young peopleage of five years old to be incarcerated in adult prisons. we've got immigrant populations there who can't live like first-class citizens because his department operates a drag net over that community. you've got young people, you've got people in schools who want to be educated but are being put into prison at record rates. and so we're organizing with that community and there are a number of partners that are building, they are organizing. elijah armstrong is down there right now, a native of polk county. we're going to build something there that says, hey, this is a community and how we want to be policed. we think we can do it better than you and the way you're doing it is wrong and immoral. >> what do you think is the path forward? there are structural questions and legal questions about internal affairs and in the case we just mentioned it seems there's not enough evidence to prosecute. how much of this is about em w empowering people in polk county, how much is about electing a

and poke county sheriff grady judd is known for aggressive six stings and that's how we discovered aa taste of his passion to takedown these child sex predators. >> i talked to a number of these men, and they said, it is entrapment. i was totally set up. >> what else are they going to say? are they going to get on national news and say, i'm a pervert? i'm a child predator? i seek sex with little boys? no, they're not going to say that. when they tell you that, look them in the eye and say, you're a liar. what you really are is a pervert, a sexual pervert, a child predator. >> can't put it more strongly than that. he has fire. fire and passion. >> no question he's known for it. the question becomes what do you put behind the talk? how can you -- can you legally keep predators from these jobs? >> sure, it is a great question. it is ongoing background checks, intense background checks, and these parks say, look, we're doing all of that, we're doing that with all our power, but there is still more that can be done. according to grady judd, according to child advocates, and according to l