Puyallup Police Address Concerns About Human Trafficking

PUYALLUP, WA — The Puyallup Police Department says their office has seen numerous rumors spread online about a rise in human trafficking and kidnapping in the area. Now they want to put those rumors to bed.

According to police, most of the rumors claim that there are men driving around the community trying to coax young women into cars with them, to be kidnapped or trafficked. However, police say that, despite how persistent that rumor has been over social media, there have been no confirmed cases of that actually happening.

The police say they take rumors like these very seriously, so as the story began to spread they conducted their own investigation to see if there was any truth to the matter. But after looking into the issue for months now, they say their research "has not found any reports of actual or potential human trafficking that fit the narrative floating around on social media."

Officers say there was one, tangentially related incident that happened near the intersection of 176th and Meridian which the Pierce County Sheriff's Department is working on, but otherwise there have been no reports of kidnapping or human trafficking happening in or near the City of Puyallup over recent months. If that changes, the department says they'll be the first to report it:

"Trust that if and when we become aware of such activity, we will do our best to alert you to such incidents so you can take appropriate action to ensure that you and your loved ones remain safe."

Anyone with information about potential human trafficking incidents is also encouraged to come forward. Victims of trafficking or those whose loved ones have been victims can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/.

The Puyallup Police Department also says they're willing to talk with anyone who has concerns about the issue, and can be reached by emailing puyalluppd@puyallupwa.gov.