MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — The McLennan County Sheriff's Office Human Trafficking Unit is pretty well known due to it's large success in sex trafficking, online solicitation, and child exploitation cases.
Now the units work is being recognized on a national platform.
Detective Joseph Scaramucci recently received a questionable message, but this time it wasn't a scam or someone he would later arrest.
"If you would be interested in coming on Dr. Phil can you give me a call at this phone number," he recalled the message saying. "Kind of was wondering if it was like scammer first. you know, it's kind of unusual."
The 'Dr. Phil' show hosted by Phil McGraw wanted to bring on the detective to help discuss child exploitation and trafficking investigations.
Scaramucci couldn't pass up the opportunity and so he flew out to the set to be a guest on the show.
"The show itself was pretty neat," Scaramucci said. "I mean, it was fast, you know, obviously a hustle and bustle."
The detective's role in the episode that is set to air December 2 is to share helpful information and advice on his operations with the Human Trafficking Unit and how to keep the younger population and anyone for that matter safe.
"Talking through like how we can prevent that, how we can hold more perpetrators of trafficking and child exploitation accountable," Scaramucci explained. "But then also, you know, how best to protect our children from even getting in that position to begin with."
The hot button topic is an urgency for Scaramucci and he says being on 'Dr.Phil' will help get the message out to a larger crowd.
"Hopefully it'll create dialogue where parents can kind of follow up with what's going on with their kids and be more aware of what's going on," he added.
Scaramucci and the rest of the unit have already made several hundred arrests in their sting operations.
They have also trained more than 500 agencies across the world on how to go after perpetrators using their methods.
Scaramucci told 6 News he is proud of all the accomplishments the unit has made since he's joined but trying to work with law enforcement agencies, non governmental organizations, parents, on what can be done to deter trafficking and exploitation is what tops the cake.
"The fact that there are people out there trying to exploit human beings that are constantly dodging law enforcement, pushes me to want to try harder to find them."
Outside of all things business, Scaramucci and McGraw got to talk all things Central Texas because McGraw lived in the Waco area for some time years ago.