Denver Police Dedicate Specialized Team To Human Trafficking Cases
DENVER (CBS4)- The Denver Police Department has created a Human Trafficking Enforcement Team dedicated to identifying the many victims who suffer in silence. There are an estimated 40 million victims of human trafficking around the world.
"Human trafficking is a heinous crime involving the repeated exploitation of vulnerable individuals, and we are committed to arresting perpetrators, removing victims from these terrible situations, and helping to provide victims the support they may need to recover," said DPD Chief Paul Pazen.
The DPD Human Trafficking Team is partnering with the Denver Police Victim Assistance Unit, the Denver District Attorney's Office, and community-based victim services to collectively enforce and prevent both human sexual and labor trafficking.
Denver is undergoing tremendous growth. Not only is the population increasing, but so is the cost of living. This can lead to more people on the streets, and more vulnerable people at risk of being trafficked.
The DA's trafficking caseload involves an array of victims, both men and women, ranging in age groups from people in their 50s to teenagers and even young children.
"Stopping the trafficking of human beings requires a coordinated effort which is why we are proud to partner with DPD's Human Trafficking team," said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann.
Victims don't always come forward about their abuse. This enforcement unit will be made up of people who are specially trained to identify trafficking crimes, because many of these cases first present as something else.
The DA says patrol officers have responded to calls for domestic violence and assault, when under the surface was something much more serious.
"The individual who was being trafficked was picking up the phone and calling for help because of another immediate emergency. They weren't sharing more information about how they got to that circumstance. It's that training and that awareness that'll make a tremendous difference," said Lara Mullin, Human Trafficking Unit Prosecutor.
DPD's trafficking enforcement team was made possible by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Not only could this help prevent human trafficking, but it will also provide care and supportive resources to victims.