Task Force Looks To Educate Public On Human Trafficking

Following a prostitution sting in Tuscaloosa last week, local law enforcement officials hope to show the community that human trafficking is a pressing issue not reserved for action movies. In an effort to better educate the public on the matter, the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force will host a class in September aimed at bringing the discussion to the forefront.

“The public needs to know it is happening and it’s not something on TV or something like the movie ‘Taken,'” said Lt. Darren Beams, the commander of the multi-agency unit. “It’s the opposite of that because 80-90% of the victims we’ve encountered are home-grown victims who are being exploited. The movie was a great movie, but what we're seeing is not about being kidnapped and taken to another country. It’s happening right here, right now in his country and it’s our own citizens getting exploited.”

The informational class will be held on Sept. 22 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa River Market, with the goal of educating adults first, before expanding and taking an age-appropriate angle in educating children and teenagers. The event will focus on how trafficking happens, signs and indicators of trafficking, how to identify dangerous activity and what to do when you suspect human trafficking is going on in your area.

Beams explained that training with everyone possible is a crucial pillar to the Task Force's approach as it works to ensure the community and those directly involved are prepared to tackle human trafficking. These classes can range from educating hotel owners to sexual assault training with area nurses.

“We’ve also trained over 250 of DCH Regional Medical Center’s staff on what to look for,” he said.

As for the class in September, Beams hopes the program will be well-received by the adult cohort and result in the necessary conversations being had at home with children.

“We want them to like it enough so when we get ready to do the classes for children, they will at least listen to us,” he said. “We break it all down for them and show them what your children need to be looking at, what you need to be looking for. I really think we have a multifaceted approach in what we’re doing.”

A GROWING ENTERPRISE

The undercover vice operation last Friday conducted on McFarland Boulevard resulted in the arrests of two Georgia men on charges of promoting prostitution and drug possession. Despite the successful operation, Beams was quick to point out that human trafficking is a growing criminal enterprise that presents an ongoing challenge for communities and law enforcement. However, the Task Force was created three years ago to combat its continued growth, Beams said, while offering a victim-centered approach that holds those responsible accountable while providing necessary help to those exploited.

The Task Force is made up of officers from Tuscaloosa, Northport and University of Alabama police departments and the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.

“When we approach the potential trafficking victim, we don’t come at them like we are about to arrest you,” he said. “We want to hear your story. We want to know what got you where you are.”

Beams then alluded to Trafficking Hope — the victim services provider that is attached to the Task Force. Launched in 2007, Trafficking Hope is a Christian-based organization with the mission of working with local churches and law enforcement to eradicate sex trafficking in communities across the country.

“The ladies from there are trained how to administer trauma care to these victims because they are in a traumatic state," Beams said. "Once the scene is safe and once the potential person is in custody, we allow them to go in the room and talk to the victims. We’ve found that is the best approach because they can offer them social services and get them out of that lifestyle right then and there.”

Despite this manner of dealing with victims proving to be effective, Beams lamented that it’s not a method used widely across the state.

“There’s not a lot of that going on right now, “ he said. “We’re the only law enforcement tactical task force in the state and we’re hoping and praying this spreads to other places. It use to be prostitution was considered a victimless crime, but 80-90% involved in commercial sex have been trafficked because there’s so much money in it.”

He then referred to it as the fastest-growing criminal enterprise in America, second only to drug trafficking, with a network of circuits running across the southeast. Of these pathways for human trafficking, the I-20/59 corridor has proven to be one of the busiest.

Beams said traffickers use the interstates and stay an average of four to six days in any one given town. Birmingham, for example, represents a city that's located in the center of the state and at most a three-hour drive from any other Alabama city.

“It’s capitalizing on, let’s say, less than desirable hotel chains where they aren’t as stringent on how they rent their rooms,” he said. “A lot of them don’t write tag numbers down, even though they’re suppose to and there are a lot of these places.”

While methods have changed over time, such as the demise of Backpage.com and user policy changes to websites like Craigslist, Beams said the ever-evolving nature of digital communications has consistently made it more difficult to track down traffickers and rescue victims.

“There are social media apps they’re starting to use, it’s on Facebook, these messenger sites,” he said. “Every time we seem to get a little information about one site, they’re using something else. We’re always a little bit behind on that.”

This is where the community comes in, he said. In many cases, it can be as simple as immediately reporting suspicious activity to police.

“You’ll see these victims at Walmart, a gas station or a fast food restaurant,” Beams pointed out. “If you see some of the signs ... sometimes you’ll just get that sense. A lot of the times it will be an older male with a younger female who is dressed inappropriately for the season.”

In discussing community engagement looking ahead to September’s class, Beams said through calls to 911 from concerned citizens, the Task Force had rescued at least three victims after getting involved.

“We want more [community involvement],” he said. “That’s why we’re wanting to put on a good program for the community, so they can see what we’re doing.”

“Human Trafficking: What You Need To Know” will be free for the public on Sept. 22 and light refreshments will be provided.

To register for the event, email ablalock@cityofnorthport.com.