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Nan Waller is the Chief Family Court Judge for Multnomah County’s Circuit Court. At the Portland City Council hearing, she applauded the idea the new revenue stream.
Nan Waller “Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way of sustaining it? That if you are going to engage in prostitution activities, you’ll be at risk of having to pay for services that will support young girls. And we really need – it is a full range of services that we need.”
Waller says there’s a strong demand for safe shelters, and for staff who can be available to help trafficking victims around the clock.
She described a recent case involving a girl who was shuttled around in state custody. Although she was a high-risk candidate for sex trafficking, the girl slipped through the system and disappeared because no supportive shelter was available.
Portland has a mechanism to liquidate property for drug crimes. But until now, there hasn’t been a precedent for seizing assets during sex trafficking arrests.
But now, Commissioner Dan Saltzman says officers will be encouraged to take cash, cars, computers, and other property used by trafficking rings.
Saltzman says 75 percent of the proceeds will be funneled into services for victims.
Dan Saltzman “What we’re doing is entirely consistent with state forfeiture laws. We’re not saying that this money is overnight going to be a big pot of money but we think over time, it will provide a dedicated funding source.”
And that, Saltzman says, has been the challenge for those concerned about human trafficking.
Dan Saltzman “It’s sort of: finding the money to fund services, as opposed to buildings. We can always figure out that angle.”
The city doesn’t know how much money the seizures will generate.
Meanwhile, Multnomah County’s efforts continue to build on the $900,000 in federal funding that’s been won for a victims’ shelter. The county hopes it will be in operation by early 2012.
OPB News · Portland Council Sends Seized Assets From Human Trafficking Cases To Shelters
Source: OPB News
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