U.S. Attorney Announces Successful Training For Law Enforcement On Human Trafficking

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky announced the successful completion of a law enforcement training session aimed at fostering continued collaborative investigations and prosecutions of those who illegally traffic persons through forced labor.

During the training session, members of Louisville Metro Police heard from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Assistant United States Attorneys, and victim resource coordinators on trends in human trafficking, strategies for multi-agency investigations, common misconceptions of human trafficking and special considerations for child victims.

“This partnership and commitment to training is taking the fight against human trafficking to a new level,” stated David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “The victims of forced labor often go unseen and are unable to seek help. For this reason, it will take a continued, collaborative effort to identity and successfully prosecute these crimes,” concluded U.S. Attorney Hale.

“Human Trafficking is a crime that escapes the public conscience due to the nature of how it is perpetrated. Victims of Human Trafficking are the most vulnerable of victims. Addressing this crime takes dedication and expertise on the part of FBI Agents and the courage of witnesses and victims to make it known,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Howard S. Marshall

“Human trafficking is a growing problem in our communities and the Louisville Metro Police Department welcomes the opportunity to train and work with our law enforcement partners to identify and rescue victims of this terrible crime and pursue justice for them,” stated Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad.

According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), human trafficking includes the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or other services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. It includes sex trafficking, in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the victim is under 18 years of age.

Public outreach efforts in the United States over the last decade have significantly increased the level of awareness of human trafficking in its various forms. While sex trafficking is currently the most recognized form of human trafficking, labor trafficking is found in almost every industry including: agricultural, construction, domestic servitude, escort services, factories, hotels, restaurants, prostitution and strip clubs.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky is currently prosecuting two alleged human trafficking cases: one in Owensboro (U.S. v Jathar Williams) and another in Louisville (U.S. v Christopher).

For more information on human trafficking see the Department of Justice Civil Right Division at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/htpu.php.