KC police empower truckers, the eyes and ears of the road, to report human trafficking
Truckers, who spend hours on the interstates and at truck stops each day, are increasingly seen as the first line of defense in reporting human trafficking on the road.
So on Monday, the Kansas City Police Department’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Squad announced they’re joining forces with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s human trafficking awareness initiative in the hopes of empowering truckers to say something when they see something.
Between Monday and Friday, officers will hand out information provided by Truckers Against Trafficking during routine commercial vehicle inspections and during visits to local truck stops to raise awareness around human trafficking.
Members of the trucking industry are often the eyes and ears of the roadways, and therefore in the best position to report potential trafficking, Sgt. Grant Ruark, who works in commercial vehicle enforcement at KCPD, said at a news conference Monday morning.
Ruark said truckers often know when trafficking is happening but don’t know how to report it. This national initiative is hoping to change that.
“This issue of human trafficking is one that many people think happens somewhere else to someone else,” he said. “By definition, human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services or to engage in commercial sex acts, and it occurs everywhere .. even right here in our own community.”
In 2021, 240 trafficking cases involving 327 victims were identified in Missouri, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which was established in 2007. Of those victims, nearly all were being trafficked for sex, and nearly all were female.
“It happens absolutely here,” said Sgt. Brad Dumit, with KCPD’s VICE Unit. “But it happens in about a million different ways.”
Truck stops are an easy place for traffickers to prey on people, and when a victim is being moved through the highway system, it can make it even more difficult for them to know how to get help, he said. For example, he added, a victim could be picked up at a truck stop in Kansas City one day and in Tallahassee the next.
“So the jurisdictional boundaries that we deal with day in and day out are immensely enormous,” Dumit said. “It’s a mountain to cover.”
He said once KCPD identifies a trafficking victim, they work with social services partners, like Relentless Pursuit Outreach & Recovery, to help the victim feel safe and get the help they need.
Candice Spangler, with Relentless Pursuit, said they help victims identify and address the barriers keeping them from escaping their trafficker, including a lack of adequate housing and substance abuse.
“We’re here to meet you right where you’re at with the support and services,” Spangler tells them.
Those in need of help can contact Relentless Pursuit by calling 816-301-5571, by emailing contact@rpor.org or by stopping by the drop-in center between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays.
Truckers who see someone being trafficked can call 1-888-3737-888, and victims can text INFO or HELP to BeFree (233733) tp get help through Truckers Against Trafficking.
This story was originally published January 9, 2023 at 12:41 PM.
