DEPARTMENT: Police
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus, Chief of Police
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Human Trafficking Update
SUMMARY:
In recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the SAPD will highlight the adverse impact that human trafficking has in the local community and nationally while also providing residents with information on how to recognize and report suspected human trafficking. In addition, the Department continues to work in coordination with various State and Federal law enforcement agencies to investigate and reduce human trafficking. The Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Grant will provide the SAPD with additional resources to improve investigative efforts and victim services.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Investigations
The SAPD has two detectives assigned to the FBI Human Trafficking Task Force. Human Trafficking victims are typically moved by their traffickers from city to city and across state lines. Therefore, the majority of SAPD cases involving Human Trafficking are filed as Federal cases with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The table below details the number of Human Trafficking cases since 2014:
|
Year |
Investigations |
Victims |
Suspects |
|
2014 |
50 |
58 |
51 |
|
2015 |
46 |
28 |
29 |
|
2016 |
38 |
43 |
50 |
|
TOTAL |
134 |
129 |
130 |
In 2014, 16 officers attended Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer Cross Designation Training which focused primarily on human trafficking and narcotics training and met minimum requirements to receive cross-designation as Customs Officers. TFOs can be assigned to an HSI group or taskforce on an on-call, part-time or full time basis. The SAPD is a member of the STOP (South Texas Officers and Prosecutors) Human Trafficking Task Force and the Alamo Area Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
Partnerships have also been established with various government agencies such as: Bexar County Juvenile Probation, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, the Attorney General’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the U.S. District Attorney’s Office. The SAPD has also developed a strong relationship with service providers such as the Rape Crisis Center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking
In September 2016, the SAPD received confirmation that the Department and the Rape Crisis Center were awarded the Human Trafficking Grant which will enable the SAPD to train and assign additional detectives, purchase essential computer equipment, and conduct outside training to other organizations and groups for identifying victims of human trafficking such as emergency responders, hotels and hospitals.
The purpose of the grant is to proactively identify victims and prosecute offenders. SAPD will work closely with Child Protective Services to identify frequent runaways who are often times victims of human trafficking. This grant will also allow the Department to strengthen its focus on sex trafficking of adults and labor trafficking.
Public Awareness
As a member of the Alamo Area Coalition Against Trafficking, SAPD is working with area advocacy groups to enhance public awareness in the region through a variety of methods to include social media and specific training to area businesses to help identify and report potential victims of Human Trafficking.
SAPD is also working with the Rape Crisis Center to ensure victims of Labor and Sex Trafficking are provided victim services and resources. The Rape Crisis Center has hired Jane Shafer, the former Victims Advocacy Supervisor for SAPD, to administer the project and to attend the STOP Task Force meetings.
The Department continues to seek opportunities to participate in events that highlight the issue of human trafficking, promote collaboration with Federal and regional law enforcement partner and educates the general public.
2017 Legislative Session
The following bills, which pertain to human trafficking, will be introduced during the upcoming State Legislative session:
• SB 128/HB 272
Related to a required training course on human trafficking for commercial driver’s license applicants.
• SB 168
Requires certain training including the identification and response to persons expressing potential grounds for asylum, children, victims of crime and human trafficking and individuals fleeing persecution or torture for DPS commissioned officers assigned to the border region, member of Texas military forces assigned to border counties and Parks & Wildlife Department peace officers from counties along the Texas-Mexico border.
• HB 269
Related to judicial proceedings on petition to set aside a conviction or an order of expunction of criminal history record information for certain victims of trafficking of persons or compelling prostitution who are convicted of prostitution.
• HB 761
Relating to protections under civil and criminal law for certain young victims of trafficking and increasing the penalty for trafficking of persons. Allows undocumented individuals between the age of 18 and 21 years old who have been victims of human trafficking to petition a court for special immigrant status.
• HB 612
Relating to voluntary and informed consent to an abortion and prevention of coerced abortions and proving penalties and creating an offense. Requires peace officers who receive allegations of a coerced abortion to file a police report and to notify the Department of Family and Protective Services of the report. The bill adds coercing or forcing a child to have or seek an abortion to the definition of child abuse under the Family Code.