IN State Police, Colleagues Raise Awareness Of Human Trafficking

Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEOs) and Motor Carrier Inspectors (MCIs) are teaming up with officers from Ohio, Illinois and Michigan to raise awareness of human trafficking during the week of Jan. 22. The effort to combat human trafficking has continued since a 2007 Senate resolution named Jan. 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day, followed by President Obama's Jan. 4, 2010 proclamation that named January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, ISP reports.

From Jan. 22 to 26, ISP says their officers will join their colleagues with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Illinois State Police and Michigan State Police, along with the organization Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to educate motorists about the signs of human trafficking and to enforce laws that crack down on traffickers.

“The Indiana State Police Department has been working with Truckers Against Trafficking since 2015," Major Jon Smithers, Commander of the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, said in a release. "The goal of this week-long, multi-state human trafficking initiative is to raise awareness and educate individuals in positions to observe human trafficking taking place. Individuals such as commercial motor vehicle drivers, public transportation company employees, rest area attendants and truck stop employees are a force multiplier that can act as the eyes and ears on Indiana’s highways."

To report human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text BeFree to 233733.

For more information about TAT, visit truckersagainsttrafficking.org.

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