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By KEVIN KOLOIAN
A panel of local law enforcement leaders and state policymakers gave updates on the ongoing struggle to stop human trafficking in Houston last week at Northwest Assistance Ministries’ third annual legislative breakfast.In 2008, 38 percent of all calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline were from Texas and 25 percent of all certified foreign human trafficking victims have been from the state as well.
Just over a year ago, the Texas legislature and Governor Rick Perry enacted legislation to help address the crime of human trafficking in Texas, and provide meaningful services to victims. So far, the full potential of the legislation hasn’t been realized due to a lack of available money, said State Rep. Ellen Cohen.
“One of the problems is that required an appropriation of funds and as far as I can tell those funds haven’t been appropriated,” Cohen said.
Cohen added that money would only get more scarce. She said the biggest challenge facing new programs and initiatives in the next legislative session will be a lack of funds since there is expected to be $15 to $18 billion budget shortfall in the state.
Cohen said lawmakers must get creative to fund any new piece of legislation that would need money to operate, including the human trafficking law enforcement initiative.
She helped pass a $5 per customer fee every time they visit sexual orientated businesses that will go toward programs that promote sexual crimes support and human trafficking. The fee will raise over $30 million per year, she said.
Other panelists at the breakfast included Mayor Annise Parker, State Rep. Gary Elkins, Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia, Constable Ron Hickman, State Rep. Debbie Riddle and State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, among others.
The human trafficking and illegal massage parlor problems seem to be just as bad as they were in the past despite law enforcement agencies combining their efforts.
“Last year, it was estimated that human trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry,” Hickman said. “It has become a more prevalent problem in our community. Sex trafficking and human trafficking are being masqueraded as legitimate business in the FM 1960 area.”
Over the last 18 months, the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s regulatory enforcement unit has filed about 450 charges and come into contact with roughly 520 “so-called massage therapists,” Hickman said.
“We’ve been able to stop the growth and shut down a good number of these locations,” Hickman said. “The problem for us by working under the regulatory enforcement side of the law, there’s a limit or what we can do to stop them from opening someplace else.”
Hickman hopes law enforcement agencies work with legislatures to write specific laws similar to the laws affecting sexual orientated businesses such as strip clubs.
“We will spend four or five hours working on law enforcement of the location and then spend two days trying to follow the money,” Hickman said. “There are millions and millions of dollars in asset forfeiture available if we can get it right.”
Hickman and Garcia said it is more impactful to go after the business owners through regulations than going after the vice side where only one woman is being affected at a time and no lasting effect is made.
“Experience has taught us that they move around a lot,” Hickman said. “They are here for four or five days and then somewhere else. There is a circuit running through Florida, California and Seattle that moves these women around until they actually pay off their debt and are released.”
The local law enforcement offices are creating databases and sharing information with their peers across the nation.
“We are continuing to keep pressure on them,” Hickman said. “One thing we have to have is consistent pressure and consistent enforcement or they will continue to repeat their efforts somewhere else.”
The Sherriff’s office has employees working jointly with the FBI to investigate human trafficking cases, Garcia said.
“We have not done a good enough job in using the county jail for intelligence, particularly in how to cultivate intelligence for human trafficking,” Garcia said. “But now, with our relationship with Crime Stoppers, any person that comes in to the county jail, male or female, will walk into an environment promoting the need to announce to Crime Stoppers things that are occurring in their community.”
Five people managing cross-cased investigations are not enough to facilitate the information, though, Garcia said.
“Our human trafficking unit will now be looking internally into the prostitution cases and other cases as to what info those individuals may have as it relates to the issue of human trafficking,” Garcia said. “We have to stoke the coals to see if the victims who need outreach have some information. They are sitting in our jail and we need to do a better job getting this information.”
Other topics the panel discussed at the breakfast included children’s healthcare; hunger and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition & Assistance program); and payday lending.
Law enforcement leaders give update on human trafficking > Spring Observer > News > Houston Community Newspapers Online - News Around Town
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