Talk:Our Rescue

The content of Timothy Ballard was merged into Our Rescue. The former page's history now serves to provide attribution for that content in the latter page, and it must not be deleted as long as the latter page exists. For the discussion at that location, see its talk page.

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On 17 April 2025, it was proposed that this article be moved from Operation Underground Railroad to Our Rescue. The result of the discussion was moved.

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The Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use require that editors disclose their "employer, client, and affiliation" with respect to any paid contribution; see WP:PAID. For advice about reviewing paid contributions, see WP:COIRESPONSE. Tricia Little (talk · contribs) has been paid by Our Rescue. Disclosure on userpage. AChalin (talk · contribs) has been paid by Operation Underground Railroad. Disclosure on userpage.

Update article with new name

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hi! I would like to introduce myself. I am Anna, the new representative for Our Rescue. My colleague Tricia Little will no longer be posting requests. In her footsteps, I will be posting requests on this Talk page and pledge to not edit directly since I am an employee of Our Rescue and therefore have a conflict of interest.

I see that this article has now been moved. Now that this is complete, I would like to suggest that this name be implemented across the article in all instances. This includes replacing "O.U.R", "OUR", "Operation Underground Railroad", and all others with "Our Rescue" (excluding any instances where the historical name is needed).

I have a draft in my userspace that shows all these replacements and additionally is just an overall draft on the future requests I will be suggesting. I believe this draft makes the article more compliant with Wikipedia's rules, as the current article has some sourcing issues, and issues with weight and relevance. I would love if any editors wanted to submit any feedback on this draft.

Ping me with any questions! AChalin (talk) 21:21, 8 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Myceteae, Andrewa, and Bensci54: Hi! I see the article has been moved. Thank you for that! With that, I believe a general update is also in order. Given your participation in the move discussion, I would like to see if any of you would like to consider this request to update the name of the organization throughout the article (except when the historical name is appropriate). Thank you! AChalin (talk) 14:52, 16 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Done Bensci54 (talk) 16:04, 16 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Bensci54: Thanks! Looks like there are still a few "Operation Underground Railroad"s left, specifically in the Financials and In popular media sections. I wanted to see if this was intentional or needed to be updated as well.

Also, I am curious to see if you had any thoughts on the draft in my userspace. I appreciate feedback on it if you have any. Thanks! AChalin (talk)

Bias

This article reads like a criticism of OUR rather than a factual article. It makes statements like "There have been no actual verified rescues performed by the group, and the group's claims of rescues have misled donors and the public about what the group does". Later in the article it states "According to Foreign Policy, in 2014, "after OUR's first operation in the Dominican Republic, a local organization called the National Council for Children and Adolescents (CONANI when abbreviated in Spanish) quickly discovered it didn't have the capacity to handle the 26 girls rescued." So which is it? Have 26 girls been rescued? Have no girls been rescued? The article is severely biased and contradicts itself. 73.65.161.113 (talk) 15:53, 17 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I agree. It needs a revamp. I also suggest removing or moving Sexual misconduct allegations section, which is about its founder, who is no longer associated with the origination to his own page. Mysecretgarden (talk) 23:39, 24 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Mysecretgarden: I agree with your and the IP editor's assessment that the article is biased and not factual. I have put together a draft in my userspace that I think is a more neutral and accurate version of this article. Would you care to review it?

As a disclosure, I am an employee of Our Rescue and therefore have a conflict of interest. I will not edit the article directly.

Please let me know if you have any questions. AChalin (talk) 19:09, 31 May 2025 (UTC)[reply]

ESD K-9 subsection

An impartial editor has reviewed the proposed edit(s) and asked the editor with a conflict of interest to go ahead and make the suggested changes.

Hi! Anna here, the rep for Our Rescue. I have a suggested addition for this article. This includes a new subsection, which would need some currently existing content to be removed or added into this section. A breakdown is below:

• Add a subsection named "ESD K-9" to the end of the current "Operations" section
• In this new subsection, add the following content:

ESD K-9 subsection

Our Rescue trains dogs to detect electronic storage devices and donates them to police departments in several U.S. states and Thailand.[1][2] Our Rescue assesses the needs of the area to select which agencies it will donate the dogs.[3] These dogs are trained to smell SD cards in devices including cell phones, hard drives, and hidden cameras.[4] Some are also trained to provide comfort to victims.[3] Dogs donated by Our Rescue have been connected to the arrests of individuals for child pornography.[5] References "Electronic Detection Deployed Dogs". Jordan Detection K9. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2023. Armstrong, Kiah (January 19, 2022). "Woods Cross Police now have a K-9 trained to sniff out child sexual assault material". Channel 4. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2023. Williams, Rachel (26 September 2023). "Meet Benton County's electronic detection K9 named Denver". 5newsonline.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Gillespie, Lane (28 August 2023). "Shawnee Co. DA's office welcomes new dog trained to detect electronic evidence". WIBW. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Ledbetter, Reagan (17 July 2024). "Rogers County K9 Assists In Arrest Of High-Profile Doctor In Ecuador". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.

If the above is added, this would require the following to be removed to not have any redundancies:

• Our Rescue bought over 50 dogs trained to detect electronic storage devices from Jordan Detection K9 and donated them to police departments in several U.S. states and Thailand.
  • This is in the current "Law enforcement support" subsection.

Ping me with any questions! AChalin (talk) 21:19, 5 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

 Go ahead: I have reviewed these proposed changes and suggest that you go ahead and make the proposed changes to the page. GoldRomean (talk) 00:51, 10 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Seeing that this edit was still not done, I have gone ahead and posted it. Mysecretgarden (talk) 05:33, 20 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Mysecretgarden: Thank you for implementing this! I was holding off because I was actually going to suggest some new language that I thought was more accurate after some consideration. In short, I would like to suggest replacing the current text in the new "ESD K-9" subsection with the following (changes in bold):

Proposed ESD K-9 subsection language

Our Rescue’s ESD K9 Program funds dogs, trained by Jordan Detective, to detect electronic storage devices and donates them to police departments in several U.S. states and Thailand.[1][2] Our Rescue assesses the needs of the area to select which agencies it will donate the dogs.[3] The dogs are trained to detect electronic storage devices including cell phones, hard drives, and hidden cameras.[4] ESD K9s are also trained to provide comfort to victims.[3] Dogs donated by Our Rescue have been connected to the arrests of individuals for child pornography.[5] References "Electronic Detection Deployed Dogs". Jordan Detection K9. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2023. "Kentucky State Police welcomes new K9 officer, May". WLWT. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2025. Williams, Rachel (26 September 2023). "Meet Benton County's electronic detection K9 named Denver". 5newsonline.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Gillespie, Lane (28 August 2023). "Shawnee Co. DA's office welcomes new dog trained to detect electronic evidence". WIBW. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Ledbetter, Reagan (17 July 2024). "Rogers County K9 Assists In Arrest Of High-Profile Doctor In Ecuador". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 20 March 2025.

I believe this text is more accurate than what I previously proposed and that GoldRomeanapproved because it makes it more clear that Jordan Detective does the training and clarifies more what the dogs are trained to do.

While I appreciate the previous go-ahead, I do prefer other editors implementing for me due to my conflict of interest. Let me know if there are any thoughts on this! AChalin (talk) 22:18, 24 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, I usually use "go ahead" to save time, but of course I'm usually happy to implement for you as well. @Mysecretgarden, thank you for the previous changes, I'm a bit busy at the moment and would appreciate if you could do this one as well. Thank you! GoldRomean (talk) 22:41, 24 June 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Mysecretgarden and GoldRomean: Thanks! I saw the editors implemented on my behalf and it looks like the new subsection was made and current information moved over, but the new language was not implemented. Any thoughts on this?

Let me know if there are any more questions! AChalin (talk) 21:54, 17 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Mysecretgarden and GoldRomean: Checking in to see if either of you are able to implement the updated wording to the ESD K-9 subsection you approved?

As a side note, I updated the draft in user space if you are interested to see what else I had in mind for the article as a whole. Otherwise, I will be back with more requests soon. AChalin (talk) 21:17, 30 July 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I made the edits with slight revisions, as we needed to keep the 2022 date in there and also some part wee repetitive. Mysecretgarden (talk) 09:16, 12 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Leadership change section

This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest has now been answered.

Hi! Anna again. I wanted to present a new suggestion for the article. Currently, there is a Leadership change section but nothing that is a more comprehensive look at the structure of the organization. I would like to suggest replacing this section with the text below, which wraps the current section into it. I have also wrapped some of the content into this section that is in other sections, to give more context to the leadership change.

−

''Leadership change'' After Ballard was forced out as CEO, Our Rescue began a search for new leadership. During the search, Matt Osborne, the President and COO, led the organization. On February 26, 2024, Tammy Lee, a corporate executive with experience at [[Delta Air Lines]], [[Northwest Airlines]], and the [[University of Minnesota Foundation]], took over as the new CEO. Lee also served on the White House Interagency Task Force to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

+

'''Organization structure''' Our Rescue is currently headquartered in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]] and headed by CEO Derek Benner, as of 2025.It had offices in [[Cedar City, Utah]], and [[Anaheim, California]], as of 2021. Our Rescue reported $50 million in revenue and $53 million in expenses to the [[IRS]] in 2023. Board of directors, as of 2025: *Kelly Crouch *Jeff Frazier *Matthew Millhollin *Sean Vassilaros *Lindy Borchardt *Abigail Casas Munoz *James Sweeney *Jim Dinkins *Michelle Livingstone '''Leadership change''' Our Rescue was founded in 2013 by Ballard. During his tenure, the organization faced criticism of its approach. This included from [[Anne Gallagher]], an expert on the international law on human trafficking, who outlined a lack of victim aftercare. Ballard reportedly consulted a psychic for intelligence on some missions. In 2023, a married couple filed a lawsuit against Our Rescue and Ballard, accusing Ballard of sexual assault and grooming. After Ballard was forced out as CEO, Our Rescue began a search for new leadership. During the search, Matt Osborne, then President and COO, led the organization until Lee was hired. Benner succeeded Lee in 2025. Additionally, the organization announced that it would entirely change its approach to how it conducted its operations. This included more services for survivors, awarding grants to nonprofits and continuing working with law enforcement.

References

1. "Tim Ballard, subject of 'Sound of Freedom' movie, has 'stepped away' from trafficking org, reports say". FOX8 WGHP. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
2. Jennings, Aubree (20 February 2024). "Operation Underground Railroad appoints new CEO, plans to expand". ABC4 Utah.
3. Merlan, Anna; Marchman, Tim (July 13, 2023). "Tim Ballard Has 'Stepped Away' From Operation Underground Railroad, Org Says". Vice. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
4. "Operation Underground Railroad Appoints Tammy Lee as Chief Executive Officer". www.businesswire.com. 20 February 2024.
5. Whiting, Sarah (29 January 2025). "Breaking Chains: The Collective Effort to Combat Human Trafficking - Minnesota Women's Press". www.womenspress.com. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
6. Morrissette, Mikki (8 December 2024). "OUR Rescue moving to Minnesota to Address High Sex Trafficking of Children - Minnesota Women's Press". www.womenspress.com. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
7. Herbets, Adam (24 April 2025). "Operation Underground Railroad sees third CEO in three years". Fox12. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
8. Adam Herbets, Nate Carlisle (2020-10-08). "Anti-human trafficking group Operation Underground Railroad under criminal investigation by Utah prosecutor". Fox 13 Salt Lake City. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
9. "Our Team". Our Rescue. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
10. Jackman, Tom (September 23, 2016). "Hunting for sex-traffickers abroad — by posing as johns". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
11. Murray, Conor. "'Sound Of Freedom' Inspiration Tim Ballard And Film Producer Face Allegations Of Sexual Impropriety". Forbes. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
12. Beal-Cvetko, Bridger; Aerts, Lindsay (Oct 11, 2023). "2nd lawsuit filed against Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
13. "Tim Ballard, subject of 'Sound of Freedom' movie, has 'stepped away' from trafficking org, reports say". FOX8 WGHP. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
14. Gehrke, Robert (20 Feb 2024). "Operation Underground Railroad has a new CEO. Here's Tim Ballard's replacement". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 14 Nov 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
15. Fedor, Liz (28 October 2024). "Anti-Trafficking Nonprofit Will Relocate to Minneapolis". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved 6 March 2025.

If the above is implemented, then the following would need to be deleted from the Controversies section to reduce redundancy:

• Anne Gallagher, an expert on the international law on human trafficking,[18] wrote in 2015 that Our Rescue had an "alarming lack of understanding about how sophisticated criminal trafficking networks must be approached and dismantled" and called the work of Our Rescue "arrogant, unethical and illegal".

• In the Controversies section

• Our Rescue's CEO Ballard reportedly consulted a psychic for intelligence on some missions.

• In the Controversies section

• The group's founder, Tim Ballard, was the subject of an internal investigation in 2023 after multiple former employees accused him of "sexual harassment, spiritual manipulation, grooming, and sexual misconduct". Ballard resigned as CEO in June 2023, as a result of the investigation. Weeks later, the organization was named in two separate lawsuits, in which the plaintiffs accused Tim Ballard of sexual assault, grooming, and coercing women into sexual acts during Our Rescue's sting operations.

In a December 2023 statement posted on its website, the organization said an independent law firm reached the conclusion that Ballard had "engaged in unprofessional behavior that violated OUR's policies and values".

• In the Introduction

Let me know if there are any questions! Thanks, AChalin (talk) 23:08, 5 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I have made most of the edits with minor revision. Board of director's is added to the infbox instead. Mysecretgarden (talk) 09:34, 12 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks!

Founding section

Hi Mysecretgarden, I wanted to see if you had any thoughts on this next request.

Right now, there is a "Founding" section but nothing about the subsequent history. Additionally, there is a blanket "Controversies" section which WP:CSECTION outlines against. While the section does have a thematically named subsections, the overall "Controversies" seems to not be best practice.

Because of the above, I would like to suggest a "History" section that wraps in some of the "Controversies" section content.

Please note that the reason I said "some" is because I found that some of the content within this section does not seem to meet Wikipedia's rules guidelines. I will outline this below.

Newly Proposed History section

Operation Underground Railroad was founded in 2013[1] and was developed to identify child trafficking networks and seek prosecution and its initial cases were in the United States, Haiti and Nicaragua.[2][3] In February 2016, the Justice Department advised members of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) as well as state and local police to not have involvement with Our Rescue.[4] The ICAC later resumed working with Our Rescue, as of 2024.[5][6][7] On June 22, 2023, founder Tim Ballard resigned from the organization and in September it was announced that it was due to a sexual harassment complaint.[8] On February 26, 2024, Tammy Lee, a corporate executive with experience at Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, and the University of Minnesota Foundation, took over as the new CEO. Lee also served on the White House Interagency Task Force to Combat Trafficking in Persons.[9] After this, the organization announced it would change its approach to how it conducted its operations. This included more services for survivors, awarding grants to nonprofits and continuing working with law enforcement. It also announced a change in its name from "Operation Underground Railroad" to "Our Rescue".[10] Derek Benner was appointed CEO in April, 2025.[11] References Hanson, Kurt. "Operation Underground Railroad: Saves lives in ways most can't". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2019-07-12. Byrne Reilly, Richard (2014-04-26). "Tech startup Operation Underground Railroad is saving kids from human traffickers". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-05-16. Cite error: The named reference maxim was invoked but never defined (see the help page). Winerip, Michael (September 28, 2021). "Convicted of Sex Crimes, but With No Victims". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2023. Gewirtz, Elaine Waldorf (17 December 2024). "Labrador Retriever 'Rosco' Wins 2024 Uniformed Service K-9 Award for C". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 20 March 2025. "Washoe County Sheriff's Office ICAC Detectives Arrest Suspect on Child Exploitation Charges | Washoe Life". Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Retrieved 20 March 2025. "Sergeant Joshua Davis and K9 Glitch Fighting Crime". The International Union of Police Associations. Retrieved 20 March 2025. Siemaszko, Corky. "'Sound of Freedom' inspiration Tim Ballard resigned from child rescue group after misconduct reports". NBC News. Gehrke, Robert (20 Feb 2024). "Operation Underground Railroad has a new CEO. Here's Tim Ballard's replacement". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 14 Nov 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025. Fedor, Liz (28 October 2024). "Anti-Trafficking Nonprofit Will Relocate to Minneapolis". Twin Cities Business. Retrieved 6 March 2025. Herbets, Adam (24 April 2025). "Operation Underground Railroad sees third CEO in three years". Fox12. Retrieved 29 April 2025.

Current Controversies section breakdown

Justice Department warning This was wrapped in with the newly proposed "History" section Updates to the ICAC notice were included as well so the information is the most up-to-date Connections to QAnon WP:RSP says that there is no consensus on the reliability of Vice, so content connected to this has been removed. This is because WP:MREL outlined that The latter sentences from the NYT are also pertinent to Ballard and not Our Rescue, so belong more on the page about him. Misleading self-promotion As before, Vice is heavily used (WP:DUE) here despite having no consensus, so that content has been removed. The Slate article is not a news article but someone's firsthand retelling and so does not seem to be subject to fact-checking, as outlined in WP:REPUTABLE American Crime Journal does not appear to be a news outlet and seems to be WP:QUESTIONABLE with no clear editorial policy. The content sourced to the Foreign Policy article is not an accurate summary of what the article wrote and conflates multiple raids as one event. Ballard's sexual misconduct allegations This has been wrapped into "History"

Let me know what you think! AChalin (talk) 21:46, 14 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]