Florida, Uber Team Up To Crack Down On Human Trafficking Before Super Bowl In Miami
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — In an effort to crack down on human trafficking ahead of next year's Super Bowl in Miami, Uber is teaming up with state law enforcement.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Uber announced the initiative Wednesday.
"We are starting now, sending a consistent and strong message to anyone who would engage in human trafficking during the Super Bowl, that we will have hundreds of law enforcement officers, transportation drivers and other dedicated citizens trained to spot and report you. I want to thank Uber's leadership team for their dedication to fighting human trafficking and working to secure a safe environment for fans and families traveling to Florida to watch the championship game," said Moody in a statement.
Uber will be providing additional anti-human trafficking training sessions for its more than 100,000 Florida drivers ahead of the Super Bowl.
"Our driver-partners are the eyes and ears on the road and through partnerships, we hope to provide them with the necessary resources developed by experts, which will help empower them to take action. We are honored to partner with Attorney General Moody on raising awareness and getting in front of this important issue," said Uber chief legal officer Tony West.
Uber launched anti-sex trafficking training for this year's Super Bowl in Atlanta, where law enforcement netted 169 arrests in a sex trafficking sting around the time of the NFL championship game.
Moody is also serving on the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee's Executive Leadership Team in charge of anti-sex trafficking efforts and will work with the committee on additional human trafficking interdiction efforts.
After next year's game in Miami, the Super Bowl will be held in Tampa in 2021.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)