Police receive anti-trafficking training

Three hundred law enforcement officials have been trained in how to spot the signs of human trafficking and how to respond.

Staff at Hope for Justice’s US hub in Nashville, Tennessee, provided training for 250 Tennessee law enforcement leaders from more than 95 counties, as well as 50 Illinois state law enforcement leaders.

In addition, 63 educators and 10 members of staff from a non-profit that helps female victims of sexual assault benefited from the coaching.

Richard Schoeberl, US team leader at global anti-trafficking charity Hope for Justice, said: “It was brilliant to see so many people taking on board this practical guidance, which is ultimately designed to increase the number of victims who are identified and to improve the response, so that we rescue more of these vulnerable people sooner.”

John S. Fuson, the president of Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association, invited Hope for Justice to speak at their annual conference last month.

The Sheriff’s Association, consisting of county sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, was founded to promote more effective law enforcement practices among the 95 counties in the State of Tennessee.

Hope for Justice provided an overview of the issues of modern slavery and human trafficking, talking about the global and local narrative, as well as teaching participants how to spot the signs and how to work with potential victims.

Richard, who previously worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and who also sits on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s human trafficking advisory council, provided examples of some of the cases that Hope for Justice has worked on.

Since the training, the charity’s US hub has received a number of referrals for investigative assistance in cases involving potential victims of modern-day slavery, as well as requests to deliver further training throughout Tennessee.