A warning that this interview deals with some very difficult subject matter: the exploitation of children. It is not suitable for children and some adults may find it difficult to hear.
It's heroic to dedicate your life to chasing bad guys and putting them behind bars. However, that pursuit of criminal activity can come with a lot of traumatic experiences and deep psychological wounds.
Tim Minyard spent 17 years undercover working to stop criminals involved in the human and sex-trafficking business. With two ports and an international border nearby, he says Seattle is a hotbed for the industry. In fact, a recent study found that Seattle has one of the fastest growing sex-trafficking industries in the country.
Naturally, the work took Minyard to a lot of dark places and put him in contact with a lot of terrible people.
"You end one operation and somebody just picks it up from there," says Minyard. "That's how I came to terms with the fact that it was time to get the whole save the world thing out of my mind and just concentrate on making it really difficult [for these criminals to operate]. I remember that being a really bitter pill."
These days, Minyard is pursuing peace of mind after a lifetime of trauma. Sound Effect's Gabriel Spitzer talks with Minyard about why he go into this line of work and how he copes with his difficult memories.
