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KCPD Participates In Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative

Publish Date 01/09/2023
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To help combat human trafficking, members of KCPD will begin meeting with commercial truckers this week to raise awareness of the crime.

During a news conference on Jan. 9, KCPD’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad announced it is taking part in the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative.

At random commercial vehicle inspections, officers will hand out information provided by the group, Truckers Against Trafficking https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org/. The officers will also visit local area truck stops to circulate this information to truck drivers and the general public.

“Many think that this kind of thing happens somewhere else, to someone else, but we know it occurs everywhere and touches the lives of many right here in our community,” said Sergeant Grant Ruark. 

Because traffickers use transportation systems, sometimes using commercial vehicles to transport victims, it’s imperative to have awareness and partnership to fight this crime.

“We want to get the word out to those who might need help that there is a way out,” said Ruark. “We also want to give the honest, hardworking, and caring commercial vehicle owners and operators the information they need to take action if and when they see this kind of thing going on.”

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, since its inception in 2007, it has identified 1,524 cases of human trafficking, and 3,160 victims were identified in these cases. 1,103 signals were received by the Hotline in 2021 from Missouri, and 355 signals received were from victims or survivors of human trafficking.

According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, a total of 2,198 persons were referred to U.S. Attorneys for human trafficking offenses in the fiscal year 2020, a 62% increase from 2011:

  • 92% were male
  • 63% were white
  • 18% were black
  • 17% were Hispanic
  • 95% were U.S. citizens
  • 66% had no prior convictions

Members from Relentless Pursuit Outreach joined KCPD at the announcement.

For more statistical information, visit:

https://humantraffickinghotline.org

 &

https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/human-trafficking-data-collection-activities-2022

#HumanTraffickingAwarenessMonth