There is scarce argument that law enforcement is facing unique challenges as it moves into the third decade of the 21st century. Police departments are embracing new and unique ways to provide services to their communities while fighting emerging crime problems that involve shifting time and resources outside traditional calls for service. Communities are transforming from long-established homogenous neighborhoods to those with diverse populations created by residential movement, relocation, and transient employment opportunities. Gen X has passed the torch to Millennials, who are creating law enforcement techniques to combat crimes surrounding advanced technology, social media, and the substantial growth in cases of human trafficking.
The Department of Justice defines human trafficking as, “a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. Further, coercion can be subtle or overt, physical or psychological. The exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion was used”. In a 2023 report on data collection activities, the DOJ identified a total of 2,027 offenders were referred to the US Attorney’s office in fiscal year 2021, a 49% increase over a ten-year period. In that same timeframe, the number of persons prosecuted more than doubled.
Because the trafficking of humans is a universal concern, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims”. The Global Data Hub on Human Trafficking estimates that 50 million people are victims of modern slavery in any given day, and from this evaluation, 27.6 million were in situations of involuntary labor and 22 million were in a forced marriage.
A proactive reply to this form of crime requires effective policy, appropriate training, and continued education to recognize the dynamics of the entire construct of human trafficking and the behavior of those engaged in this form of illicit activity. Applying the Crime Triangle can provide a foundation to police leaders and assist in the formatting and design of productive training. Also known as the Problem Analysis Triangle, the Crime Problem Theory Triangle, and the Crime Prevention Triangle, it was initially presented by criminologists Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson, when explaining the routine activities associated with crime. They suggest that for a crime to occur, it requires three separate and distinct entities, a victim, offender, and location. When one of these is removed crime cannot occur. The theory has been applied to explain how to prevent various types of street crimes and in improving many quality-of-life issues. When harnessing it to human trafficking, it allows for greater comprehension of the potential victims, those motivated to be offenders of these illegalities, and the environment in which it exists.
Recognizing the location of human trafficking begins with realizing that no community is resistant from this form of crime and from those who prey on the vulnerable. Human trafficking is regularly found in areas where prostitution and exotic dance clubs are prominent. Exploitation in the commercial sex industry in commonplace and victims of this form of illegal servitude is routinely observed in massage parlors, salons that cater to male populations, and escort services. However, the enslavement of victims for domestic labor services is also positioned in nail salons, hotels, restaurants, truck stops, and on farms. These environments are found in cities, suburban communities, and in very rural areas. Because of the vast responsibilities of law enforcement agencies across the country, officers can find themselves involved in these cases casually, on traffic stops, and during calls for service. Some markers of locations of human trafficking include multiple individuals living in the same tight quarters, inadequate living conditions, and persons living with their employers.
Another side of the crime triangle involves the motivated offender. There is no profile for those who are trafficking victims of this form of repression. Formulating a one-type-fits-all representation allows for offenders to mask their crimes and continue their control of the vulnerable. To suggest one group over another is solely accountable would be irresponsible and should be avoided. The typecast depicted on television screens of the burly foreign speaking organized crime leader is gravely inaccurate. The young well-groomed “pimp-looking” male is equally as dangerous. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, states that “A wide range of criminals, including individuals, family operations, small businesses, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks and international organized criminal operations, can be human traffickers. Often the traffickers and their victims share the same national, ethnic or cultural background, allowing the trafficker to better understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of their victims. Traffickers can be foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, males and females, family members, intimate partners, acquaintances, and strangers.” There is no definitive socioeconomic status. The offender engages in this type of lawbreaking for power, control, and economic gain.
One of the most effective ways of identifying offenders is to examine their relationship with potential victims. With most crimes, there is an offender-victim relationship that allows police officers to better prevent or solve criminal activity. Because of their inquisitive nature, police officers can look for signs that may enlighten their interest in the behaviors of both traffickers and those victims being trafficked. Evidence may include an employer holding identification papers of an employee, a dominant person not allowing others to speak for themselves, and the employment of fear factors on others to stifle socialization and freedom of movement.
The third face of the triangle aligns with the most important element, the victim. This form of victimization is dissimilar to common forms of crimes against people. Targets of children of human trafficking span all ages. However, according to the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative, the largest cohort of victims is between the ages of 9 and 17. For adults, the target group is between 30 and 38 years old. Age varies depending on role expectations such as sex trafficking or forced labor. Suspicion of abuse and oppression can be identified by signs of physical and psychological abuse, scripted and rehearsed answers to authorities, passive or anxious behavior, and children under the age of 18 working in sex industries. Further, external clues such as sadness, extreme shyness, and a failure to make eye contact may present themselves. Caution should be taken for cultural differences that expand across domestic and international borders.
Victimology encompasses males and females, all races, and all ethnicities. The DOJ purports that human traffickers also prey on those who are economically susceptible, who may be homeless, unemployed, and living in poverty. This can result in the failure to meet basic needs and adequate healthcare. Offenders target the vulnerable and offer them the ability to acquire minimal sustainability in return for a lifestyle of indentured servitude, debt bondage, or sex.
Training and education in human trafficking begin with recognizing the signs that are apparent and realizing the evidence that is latent. No community is resistant from human trafficking. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.
