Human Traffic Investigations Protocol

2.3 Explain the importance of full and up to date details of agreed ways of

Human trafficking affects our children and our schools more than most realize. It is estimated that more than 200,000 American children are trafficked each year in America. Victims of trafficking often come from vulnerable populations, including migrants, oppressed or marginalized groups, runaways or displaced persons, and the poor (Talati). The children most likely to be targeted by traffickers are those not living with their parents, who are vulnerable to coerced labor exploitation, domestic servitude, or prostitution. Sex traffickers target children because of their vulnerability and gullibility, as well as the market demand for young victims. Studies have shown that it is not just high school children at risk, demonstrating that pimps prey on victims as young as 12 years old. Victims

Human trafficking is one of the largest growing criminal activities. The commercial sexual exploitation of children, also known as CSEC, is often perceived as a hidden atrocity that occurs in an international setting. However, this manifestation of sexual abuse has increased and has become a recognized health issue in the United States. You may hear this problem to be known as domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST). Domestic minor sex trafficking is defined as the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act” where the person is a citizen younger than the age of 18 years by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. This includes sexual acts like survival sex, prostitution, and stripping, where the child is the victim of criminal exploitation in exchange for remuneration in the form of money, food, shelter, or other valued entity. Approximately twenty-eight percent of US minors living on the streets are reported to exchanging sex for drugs or money. The estimation so far is that 150,000 to 300,000 children are falling at risk of being victimized each year, and the average age at which they are recruited is twelve to fourteen years of age. By raising awareness we are avoiding children suffering from long-term health consequences such as severe sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. By raising awareness a family may not lose their little boy or girl to human trafficking. Consider how many young women have been kidnapped, drugged, tricked or even sold by

On 09/23/2016 at approximately 12:00 AM, this Investigator made contact with Yago Krause (DOB: 01/27/00) at his home located at 4101 E. Baseline Rd. Apt. 1024 Gilbert, AZ. According to Yago, he has been home alone for the past 2 to 3 days since he mother was admitted to the hospital. Yago stated that he was at school when his friend Mason Hicks (DOB: 01-28-97) called him about his mother having an overdose. Yago stated that Mason started living in the home about one day prior to his mother 's overdose. Yago said that he asked hospital works what to do since he is by himself. Yago stated that his step father left just before his mother had an overdose. Yago brought this Investigator to a family friend 's home who also lived in the complex. Yago at first refused to go with DCS but cooperated. Yago stated she feels safe at home and with her mother. Yago denied any substance abuse, criminal history, domestic violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse. Since Yago 's mother is hospitalized, he was placed with a family friend.

Situation: Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 14,000- 17,500 people trafficked across our boarders. The issues of international human trafficking have only recently been brought to light as an increasing problem within the United States. The department of homeland security, which consists of many branches such as Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Coast Guard, are some of the top combating agencies against human trafficking. With the rise of the amount of victims estimated to be trafficked into the U.S each year, there is much more that needs to be done in order to better address the issue.

The Nation’s Health states that Health workers are working to help identify sex trafficking victims.

Aaron George had been arrested for Human Trafficking multiple times by the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) under the old sex trafficking statue before our assistance was requested in 2014. Agent Jose Ramirez noticed, as usual in these HT cases, that ALL the victims associated with this trafficker refused to testify and returned to the trafficker shortly after their arrest. Agent Jose Ramirez utilizing a variety of investigative techniques, to include electronic surveillance, undercover operations, analytical support, additional legal resources, and applications of Florida statues, was able to arrest the trafficker and seized the vehicles being used for his operation. Three of his associates, who were

In 2006 with the appointment of Brad Schlozman as Western District U.S. Attorney under the Bush administration, Human Trafficking took top priority. After filling their first case the Western District received US$450,000 in grant to combat the issue. (Duncan 2013) In 2004 Florida followed states like Missouri, Texas and Washington in which trafficking became a felony. Yet these efforts are beneficial in the prosecution of the traffickers, undocumented victims still are limited in receiving care and benefits so greatly need. Due to their undocumented status some juvenile have been advised to maintain their assumed names that are legally documented in the United State in order to receive the care and treatment they need. (Carr 2012:89)

“...Research successful crisis intervention models in Maryland such as mental-health crisis intervention, SART (sexual assault response teams), and emergency domestic violence intervention. Compare these with human trafficking crisis response models that have been used nationwide. What challenges exist with human trafficking crisis intervention that may not exist with SARTs and mental health crisis intervention? What are effective ways law enforcement and survivor services collaborate to provide human trafficking crisis intervention and other crisis intervention? What can we learn from the SART/mental health crisis models? Based on the research, how would you structure a human trafficking crisis intervention model for Prince George's County, Maryland?”

Human Trafficking has become one of the fastest growing businesses in the world, yet it is a subject that continues to be widely misunderstood. Law enforcement personnel (N=121) will be asked to participate in a survey relating to the knowledge of human trafficking and the safety responses they provide for victims. A survey will help to determine whether the knowledge that law enforcement has on the subject of human trafficking effects how they respond to victims. It is anticipated that the less knowledge an officer has on human trafficking, the more likely they will be to sanction rather than help victims. Case file reviews will also be used to look at previous roles of law enforcement and their decisions in human trafficking cases. This research hopes to gather information on the knowledge that law enforcement agents have on human trafficking, along with the way they respond to victims. Specifically whether the safety response that officers give to victims of human trafficking is detaining the victims, placing victims in witness protection or not having any involvement in a safety plan at all.

The Domestic, Sex, and Labor Trafficking are steadily increasing within Florida. The recovery of children and adult victims from this illicit industry takes the effort of multi-agency resources to include Law Enforcement, Social Services, as well as members from the public, specifically Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO).

Second, I need to emphasize who or which teams should be contacted in order to implement the necessaries changes.

A human trafficking rescue center, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, has a hotline number, 1-888-373-7888 . A person can call that number for help or they can text help to the six digit number given (“National”). However, this center is only one of the centers for human trafficking. Other centers include the You Are Not Alone Incorporation, the Emancipation Network, Free The Slaves, Safe Horizon, the Polaris Project and The Door. A person who suspects that something is happening can call or someone taken into human trafficking can call if he or she are able to get access to a phone. The individual seeking help could call the police or the rescue center, but the police could not believe that they are telling the truth. The chance

This article discusses the challenges that local police departments in the United States face in identifying cases of human trafficking. The authors conducted a study of police departments in twelve separate counties in the US and drew data from case reports and interviews with police officers, prosecutors and victim service representatives. The authors found, despite the passage of laws by the federal and state governments, relatively few human trafficking cases have investigated and prosecuted. The authors found throughout their study that police culture, local definitions of human trafficking and lack of police focus have led to the perception that human trafficking is not a serious problem. In addition, the failure to differentiate vice

many academics, public officials, law enforcement authorities, and the news media believe human trafficking to be among the most tragic and horrendous transnational criminal activities facing us today. Victims are typically transported from