From: USA-TIP@googlegroups.com [mailto:USA-TIP@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Melissa Snow
Sent: Friday, July 17, 2009 9:40 AM
To: USA-TIP@googlegroups.com
Subject: [USA-TIP Listserv] Congressional Briefing - American Children are being Sold
A Congressional Briefing: American Children are being Sold for Sex
American children are being sold for sex to American men in the hundreds of thousands every single day. This is child sex trafficking – the victimization of a child through prostitution, pornography or sexual entertainment. It happens in every state, every day. It’s time to face the crisis that is stealing the lives of our nation’s children.
Shared Hope International will publicly release The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America's Prostituted Children on July 21, 2009, at a Congressional Human Trafficking Briefing sponsored by the Caucus on Victims’ Rights and the Caucus on Human Trafficking. The findings and recommendations from Shared Hope International's National Report will be revealed at the Briefing on July 21. The magnitude of the problem will be brought to light, as America’s modern-day slavery is exposed in the faces of children.
**The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking will be made available for download on Tuesday. Check www.sharedhope.org to download your copy.
Schedule for Tuesday:
Congressional Human Trafficking Briefing July 21, 2009
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Rayburn 2226
Audience: Open to the public
10:00-10:30am Ambassador Louis C. de Baca, U.S. Department of State, Office to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons: Overview of 2009 TIP
Report
10:30-10:50am U.S. Department of Justice Panel Discussion
*Andrew Oosterban, Criminal Division, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section
*Robert Moosey, Civil Rights Division, Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit
10:50-11:00 am Q&A
11:00-11:45am NGO Panel Discussion
*Congresswoman Linda Smith (1994-98), Founder and President,Shared Hope International
*Ernie Allen, President and CEO, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
*Brad Myles, Deputy Director, Polaris Project
11:45-noon Q&A
Melissa Snow
Director of Programs
SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL
1501 Lee Highway
Suite #101
Arlington, VA 22209
Phone: 703.35.18062
email: melissa@sharedhope.org
www.sharedhope.org
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
12-year-old girl took money in exchange for sex
A runaway 12-year-old girl received money in exchange for sex with at least two men at a Clearwater apartment, police said Tuesday.
Arrested late Monday on charges of lewd and lascivious battery were Victorino Panzopanzo, 37, and Abel Calihuamacuixtle, 30. They share the same address — 2690 Drew St., Apt. No. 841 in Clearwater.
Police say an ongoing investigation likely will yield further arrests.
Panzopanzo and Calihuamacuixtle are being held in the Pinellas County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.
During the course of the investigation, police said, 23-year-old Jorge Texmotle-Calihua also was arrested for obstruction for providing a false name to police.
Police say Panzopanzo and Calihuamacuixtle admitted in interviews to having sex with the girl, who isn't being identified because of the nature of the crime.
According to police, the 12-year-old had consensual relations with several men, the exact number of whom was not released Tuesday. Under Florida law, a girl that young cannot legally consent to have sexual relations.
The girl ran away from home on Sunday, police said, and was found Monday at an undisclosed Clearwater apartment. Authorities declined to say how much she was paid in exchange for sex.
Neighbors of Calihuamacuixtle and Panzopanzo at the MacArthur Park apartment complex said Tuesday they were previously suspicious of the two men.
Tameka Pope, a mother of two boys, said she didn't know either of the men involved, but previously complained to the complex's management about the number of people coming and going from the apartment.
Five or six men seemed to always be on the unit's front porch, Pope said.
"Now I don't want to let my kids out there," she said.
Pope originally thought the police who gathered outside the apartment Monday night were there on a drug-related visit. But when Pope's friend Dionne Smith saw a forensics van, they "knew it was something else."
Another neighbor, Moises Cerda, said he saw three girls go into the apartment on Friday. He had never seen the girls before.
The complex's property manager declined to comment Tuesday and wouldn't say whether the men arrested were legally registered to live there.
Police provided few details on the case, but said it did not appear to be part of a larger human trafficking ring.
The girl has been reunited with her family, police said. They declined to say whether she could face charges of prostitution.
source:http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1018288.ece
For educational purposes only
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Schoolchildren given sex lessons... in what's available at the local brothel
Picture posed by model showing a prostitute sitting on the edge of a bed, wearing red stockings, counting her earnings
Pupils as young as 14 are listening to a brothel owner reel off a menu of sexual services as part of lessons on sex trafficking.
At least 15 schools have hosted lessons featuring the tape recording of a madam explaining the attributes of the girls she has on offer.
Critics have condemned the tape as inappropriate for its audience of teenage boys and girls aged 14 to 17.
The recording is part of a lesson devised by campaigners who visit secondary schools and colleges to raise awareness of sex trafficking.
The 40-minute presentation usually takes place during school citizenship lessons.
One mother said her daughter had been 'more than a little upset' by the graphic classes, which have been given in recent weeks around Croydon, South London, said to be home to more than 50 brothels.
Pupils initially heard a first-person account from 'Katerina', a Romanian prostitute who told how she came to Britain after being promised a job as a waitress.
When she arrived she was taken to a flat and gang raped before being forced into prostitution.
They also heard a recording of an undercover investigator's phone call to a brothel madam in Croydon.
The woman lists a string of services available along with prices. She also gives the vital measurements of prostitutes on offer and their ethnicity.
Staff from campaign group Croydon Community Against Trafficking came up with the lessons. One of its volunteers said Year 11 pupils were the best age for such a graphic presentation.
'It can be difficult, boys especially have an attitude - they don't care,' she said.
'Then we say what if it was you? Or your sister? Some of them are shocked to learn there is a brothel on the road they live in.'
A CCAT spokesman said: 'We might when we are doing our lessons be talking to boys - or girls - who might in the future visit a prostitute, or consider it on their stag dos.
'One of our main aims is to raise awareness in the community about human trafficking and particularly sexual exploitation.
'What better place to go than into schools where young people are going to be adults in the community?'
Hugh McKinney, chairman of the National Family Campaign, said: 'The question has to be asked if this is an appropriate topic for young boys at a vulnerable stage of development to hear in the classroom.'
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1199420/Schoolchildren-given-sex-slave-lessons--including-graphic-recording-menu-brothel.html#ixzz0LFA6W1PH&D
For educational purposes only
Monday, July 13, 2009
Child-sex trade flourishing in Winnipeg, says expert
Benjamin Perrin, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, spoke with CTV News on Sunday, July 12, 2009 about his findings.
Kayla Duck spoke with CTV News on Sunday, July 12, 2009 about her experience as a prostitute. She started selling sex at age 14, when her boyfriend got her hooked on crack.
An activist against human trafficking has given Winnipeg a dubious distinction: He says it's the worst Canadian city for child sex crimes.
Benjamin Perrin, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, has said that as many as 400 teens -- mostly aboriginal girls -- are being sold for sex in the Manitoba capital.
"There were girls as young as 12, 13 years old openly on sale for sex, waiting for men to come by and pick them up," Perrin told CTV News.
And it's not only happening on the streets -- human trafficking has gone online.
The UBC professor has found more than 300 advertisements for Winnipeg girls and women on Craigslist, despite a disclaimer outlawing human trafficking.
Perrin said that children are essentially being bought and sold on the website.
"This is a free, efficient and profitable way to offer these victims for sale, and so it needs to be investigated," he said.
Last week, Perrin spoke about the issue during a two-day forum on preventing human trafficking, put on by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Aboriginal leaders have recognized the problem with online classified ads.
"Many of our women and children are being victimized by it," said Grand Chief Ron Evans from the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. "It's a problem that needs to be dealt with."
Aboriginal women and girls are at a particular risk of being exploited, due to poverty. According to the "Stop Sex With Kids" website, between 70 and 80 per cent of children and youth exploited in Manitoba are of Aboriginal decent.
However, finding and prosecuting the traffickers has been a difficult battle, as young girls tend to be threatened and are afraid to come forward to the police, making it difficult for police to gather information.
Between March 2006 and February 2007, five people were convicted of the crime, according to the UN report on trafficking persons. In the past year, 13 charges have been laid involving cases of alleged trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Back in 2007, Jacques Leonard-St. Vil of Longueuil, Que., was the first person in Canada to be charged with human trafficking. He admitted to trafficking a woman in Mississauga, Ont. He was sentences to 36 months in prison.
source:http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090712/winnipeg_trafficking_090712/20090712?hub=TopStories
For educational purposes only
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Brittanee Drexel Sold into Sex Trade?
IS PETER BROSWICK NOT TALKING BECAUSE HE SOLD BRITTANEE DREXEL INTO HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING?
Myrtle Beach, SC– Brittanee Marie Drexel, 17, has been missing since the evening of April 25th. Drexel was last seen, according to witnesses at the Motel she was staying in, against her Mother’s protests, at 8:15PM.
There have been few leads in the disappearnce of Brittanee Drexel, 17, who was last seen April 25 while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Her family and friends say they fear the worst.
Brittanee
Police have named Peter Broswick, the person last seen with Brittanee, a person of interest in her disappearance. Dawn Drexel, Brittanee’s Mother did not grant her permission for the Spring Break trip, but she had maintained regular contact with the sparkling blue-eyed beauty.
peter broswick & friends
Broswick has retained a local attorney and attempts to reach him for a statement have not been returned to blinkoncrime.com.
Mrs. Drexel became worried when she was unable to reach her daughter Sunday after she told her she would be returning that evening.
Dawn called a family friend in North Carolina to file a missing persons report after Brittanee did not come home on Sunday as promised.
Stationed at Camp Lejeune, John Hahn, a family friend for 8 years and Marine, drove the 2.5 hours from base to S.C. to file a missing persons report at the request of Drexler.
“Then I called John Grieco back, Brittanee’s boyfriend. He proceeded to tell me, nobody’s gone looking for her. Of the friends she was down at Myrtle Beach with, nobody had gone looking for her. I don’t know what kind of friends those are, but that’s not right,” Hahn said.
Hahn went on to say Brittanee’s boyfriend, John Grieco, first informed him of Brittanee’s disappearance in the early hours of Sunday morning through a text message from Rochester. Hahn says Brittanee was staying in a room at the Bar Harbor hotel with three friends – two females and a male.
According to Hahn, Broswick left S.C for Rochester, his hometown, when he learned Police wanted to speak to him and Hahn was on his way to speak with detectives.
Peter Broswick
When Hahn arrived in Myrtle Beach, he was immediately concerned.
Hahn found all of Brittanee’s belongings still inside her hotel room, he also found Drexel’s clothes and liquor inside Broswick’s hotel room.
Broswick and friends also left behind a $100 deposit at the front desk
The assault on the web community commences, note who gives an obvious Broswick supporter a voice:
BrittaneePostInsessions-1
Broswick, the 20-year-old who is reportedly the last one to see Brittanee, has hired defense attorney John Parrinello.
Parrinello says his client is fully cooperating with investigators and hopes the young lady is okay.
Apparently his well wishes do not include mentioning “the young lady”, Brittanee Marie Drexel, by name.
In an interview with WHAM, Brittanee’s Mom, Dawn Drexel said:
” Peter, we need to know what’s going on. “Brittanee is very special to us. We need to know what is going on. We need to know why the authorities weren’t called. We need answers and we’re not getting them,”
source:blinkoncrime.com
For educational purposes only
Myrtle Beach, SC– Brittanee Marie Drexel, 17, has been missing since the evening of April 25th. Drexel was last seen, according to witnesses at the Motel she was staying in, against her Mother’s protests, at 8:15PM.
There have been few leads in the disappearnce of Brittanee Drexel, 17, who was last seen April 25 while on spring break in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Her family and friends say they fear the worst.
Brittanee
Police have named Peter Broswick, the person last seen with Brittanee, a person of interest in her disappearance. Dawn Drexel, Brittanee’s Mother did not grant her permission for the Spring Break trip, but she had maintained regular contact with the sparkling blue-eyed beauty.
peter broswick & friends
Broswick has retained a local attorney and attempts to reach him for a statement have not been returned to blinkoncrime.com.
Mrs. Drexel became worried when she was unable to reach her daughter Sunday after she told her she would be returning that evening.
Dawn called a family friend in North Carolina to file a missing persons report after Brittanee did not come home on Sunday as promised.
Stationed at Camp Lejeune, John Hahn, a family friend for 8 years and Marine, drove the 2.5 hours from base to S.C. to file a missing persons report at the request of Drexler.
“Then I called John Grieco back, Brittanee’s boyfriend. He proceeded to tell me, nobody’s gone looking for her. Of the friends she was down at Myrtle Beach with, nobody had gone looking for her. I don’t know what kind of friends those are, but that’s not right,” Hahn said.
Hahn went on to say Brittanee’s boyfriend, John Grieco, first informed him of Brittanee’s disappearance in the early hours of Sunday morning through a text message from Rochester. Hahn says Brittanee was staying in a room at the Bar Harbor hotel with three friends – two females and a male.
According to Hahn, Broswick left S.C for Rochester, his hometown, when he learned Police wanted to speak to him and Hahn was on his way to speak with detectives.
Peter Broswick
When Hahn arrived in Myrtle Beach, he was immediately concerned.
Hahn found all of Brittanee’s belongings still inside her hotel room, he also found Drexel’s clothes and liquor inside Broswick’s hotel room.
Broswick and friends also left behind a $100 deposit at the front desk
The assault on the web community commences, note who gives an obvious Broswick supporter a voice:
BrittaneePostInsessions-1
Broswick, the 20-year-old who is reportedly the last one to see Brittanee, has hired defense attorney John Parrinello.
Parrinello says his client is fully cooperating with investigators and hopes the young lady is okay.
Apparently his well wishes do not include mentioning “the young lady”, Brittanee Marie Drexel, by name.
In an interview with WHAM, Brittanee’s Mom, Dawn Drexel said:
” Peter, we need to know what’s going on. “Brittanee is very special to us. We need to know what is going on. We need to know why the authorities weren’t called. We need answers and we’re not getting them,”
source:blinkoncrime.com
For educational purposes only
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Possible Case of Human Sex Trafficking? Brittanee Drexel
I have a strong feeling Brittanee Drexel was taken and has been sex trafficked. She has blonde hair just as Jessie Foster and Lindsay Harris, along with several others. Her eye color and the frame of her body. All the girls where small in frame. Could this be a case of human sex trafficking? Has Brittanee Drexel been sold into the sex slave trade?
There has been no sign of Brittanee Drexel. There have been dozens of leads and sightings. None have panned out.
Brittanee’s mother, Dawn Drexel, has been in South Carolina since the beginning. She is determined as ever, but she told News 10NBC by phone she’s emotionally spent.
“This is very, very difficult because you don’t know, you just don’t know if she’s still here with us…or she’s not….But we’re trying to keep hopeful that we can find her still,” Drexel said.
Drexel has traveled to Charleston and points in between, talking to people, handing out flyers. This weekend, Brittanee’s story will air on “America’s Most Wanted.” That gives Dawn Drexel hope.
“I’m trying to get her on national television and keep her face out there so if somebody did see something or heard something, that they would come forward.”
Drexel hopes to stay in South Carolina until she finds Brittanee, but that may be dependent on the generosity of others. That’s what has kept her there this long.
She says the police are still actively involved in this case. She says some leads are coming in, they’re just not turning up anything. She’s pinning big hopes on the “America’s Most Wanted” broadcast.
While the search continues in South Carolina, work is going on here in Rochester.
“I’m continuing at the pace that I was five weeks ago,” Brittanee’s boyfriend John Grieco said.
Grieco had to come home after weeks of searching. He’s working to make enough money to go back. He’s also put together a major fundraiser for June 26. It’s three parties in three locations at the Dome Arena that he hopes will raise money and keep Brittanee’s story alive.
“If people stop searching, I’m going to continue to search for the rest of my life, honestly,” Grieco said.
For educational purposes only
Source: cjaye57.wordpress.com
Craigslist and police partner to stop sex-trafficking
Craigslist is teaming up with Canadian law enforcement to try to stop the sale of sex with children that one expert says has turned the popular online classified service into a modern-day "kiddie-stroll."
Over the past two months, Craigslist has been consulting with the RCMP's national human-trafficking centre, the North Vancouver division of the RCMP, and the Peel Regional Police outside Toronto, in an effort to stop the "blatant, in-your-face" advertising for sex on the site.
"Craigslist is the new kiddie-stroll for men who are seeking to pay for sex with children," said Prof. Benjamin Perrin, a law professor from the University of British Columbia. "It's free and anonymous and well-known."
Perrin has studied the problem across Canada and the U.S., and he has been instrumental in trying to get measures in place to try to stop the Craigslist sex-trafficking trade.
Last fall, Craigslist brought in preventive measures in the U.S. to identify missing children, with stricter filters to verify users' identification. Attorneys general from about 40 states signed on to last year's agreement, said Perrin.
"At the time, they said they didn't add the same measures in Canada, because law enforcement wasn't interested in working with Craigslist," said Perrin, who was involved in the process.
"Now, what we see in Canada is a growing number on Craigslist using it to advertise minors and . . . what we're told is the numbers in most Canadian cities are spiking."
Perrin said the number of ads in the U.S. has dropped dramatically since the new security measures were enacted by Craigslist last year.
Cpl. Nilu Singh, with the RCMP Human Trafficking National Co-ordination Centre, said the Internet has become a way for underage sex-traffickers to reach from coast to coast.
"Investigations have been made into advertisements across the country," she said. "The Internet can be used anywhere, any time, by anyone."
Craigslist has 47 individual sites for cities across the country, and advertises things as harmless as old clothes and used cars, to the more risque, such as popular and sexually explicit personal ads.
"You can't say stuff in the old newspaper ads that you can say online," said Det. Mike Viozzi of the Peel Regional Police vice squad. "People say exactly what they want, in pretty graphic detail."
Viozzi said his division uses Craigslist frequently to investigate advertisements they find suspicious, setting up stings where they often find girls as young as 15 or 16 being controlled by much older pimps.
Last month, North Vancouver RCMP warned parents and other members of the public that a small group of individuals within the community were pressuring women as young as 16 to prostitute themselves online, often using Craigslist. The problem came to the unit's attention in November, when staff at a North Vancouver school heard that former students — young men now in their early 20s — were pimping current class members.
Singh said the discussions with Craigslist are still in the preliminary stages, but she said the company has been very forthcoming and co-operative in trying to stop the illegal trade on its site. She said the company is looking to law enforcement to provide suggestions as to what it needs to do.
In the U.S., Craigslist has added features such as phone verification and credit-card verification to make it easier for police to track users of the site.
Singh said the RCMP is also reaching out to police forces across the country about joining the Craigslist discussions.
On Thursday, the Winnipeg Police Service said it was willing to join in the Craigslist consultation, said Perrin.
Winnipeg is a major centre of sex-trafficking in Canada, said Perrin, a keynote speaker this week at a forum on the sexual exploitation of aboriginal women and children hosted by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
"In Winnipeg, there were more than 300 ads (for children and women) in the last week alone," he said Thursday.
Looking forward, Perrin said he is optimistic about the partnership with Craigslist.
"It is important in helping to stop online sex-trafficking, as law enforcement deal with 21st-century technologies," he said.
With files from Carol Sanders, Winnipeg Free Press
source:http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Craigslist+police+partner+stop+trafficking/1779594/story.html
For educational purposes only
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Triad's human trafficking trade
Between 14,500 and 17,500 individuals mostly woman and children are trafficked into the U.S. annually, according to The United States Department of State.
Charlotte FBI special agent and Representative of the North Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, John Price, explained that human trafficking cases are not discovered as frequently as homicide or robbery cases. We may come across three or four a year; but in the same breath, we don't know exactly how much of it is out there. It's a crime that is so under the radar and is so out of the public view that most people may see it every day but not report it. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hispanics comprise the largest percentage of human trafficking victims, while Asians comprise less than half of the victims.
According to the U.S. Department of State, an increase in human trafficking is partly due to the rise in unemployment. The economy is definitely having an impact on human trafficking because predators are preying on those who are the most vulnerable, said Sandra Johnson, founder and president of Triad Ladder of Hope. She noted that victims are not always from other countries, they also include women and children from the U.S.
Triad Ladder of Hope is a faith based non-profit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking in North Carolina and the Triad. Statistics don't matter, said Johnson, because if one person is a victim, then that is one too many. She said very few victims are identified because people are not aware of what human trafficking is, and it could be happening right in ones own neighborhood.
So, what is human trafficking? It is defined as the recruitment, harboring, obtaining, and transporting of persons by use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjecting them to forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking is tied with illegal arms as one of the largest criminal industries in the world; only falling second behind drug trafficking.
The Human Trafficking Reporting System, a program established by The U.S. Department of Justice to record information on human trafficking incidents, tallied more than 1,200 alleged incidents from January 1, 2007 to September 30 2008, the first 21 months of operation. Growing poverty is making more people vulnerable to both labor and sex trafficking, boosting the supply side of human trafficking all over the world, The U.S. Department of State noted in its June 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report. Although the incidents reported in the Triad are small, Price believes there are many cases that go unreported, There are state laws against human trafficking so people can contact any law enforcement agency if they suspect someone of human trafficking, said Price.
Lisa Thompson, National Liaison for the Abolition of Sex Trafficking for the Salvation Army explained that the purpose of training is to show the broad range of needs for victims such as culturally appropriate counseling, job skills training, food and shelter. We need to be more on the lookout and view it as a duty as a citizen, to be aware of whats going on in your neighborhood.
Triad Ladder of Hope is currently looking for volunteers to assist with its Victim Partnership program which allows people to donate money every month to help provide a human trafficking victim with food, shelter, clothes and more.
Triad Ladder of Hope is sponsoring a series of human trafficking training events open to the public. Anyone interested can register at www.triadladderofhope.org.
Wednesday, July 15,
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Daystar Christian Fellowship
908 Westover Terrace Road
Greensboro, N.C. 27403
Thursday, July 16,
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Hope Outreach Center
2800 Westchester Drive
High Point, N.C. 27262
Friday, July 17,
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Peace Haven Baptist Church
3384 York Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
source:http://www.carolinapeacemaker.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=97595&sID=4
For educational purposes only
Child Sex Trafficking in America: Pimp Control
Shared Hope International has conducted field research on child sex trafficking across the U.S. This research found underage girls are the bulk of victims in commercial sex markets - this includes pornography, stripping, escort services, and prostitution. There are three main manifestations of child sex trafficking in America: pimp-controlled prostitution, familial prostitution, and “survival” sex. Melissa Snow, Director of Programs for Shared Hope International, will be bringing you periodic updates from the field: the reality of child sex trafficking in America.
It’s happening across the U.S.- from Maryland to Minnesota, Iowa to Utah, American children as young as 12 years old are being sold by pimps in prostitution. By law, any child in prostitution is a victim of human trafficking. And how can such rampant sexual exploitation of America’s youth exist? Pimp control. We use “pimp control” to refer to the targeting, recruiting, and maintaining of a person for commercial sexual exploitation- in many cases, a child.
Here in America, the average age a child is targeted and recruited into sex trafficking is 13 years old. Pimps prey on the innocence of youth because it provides them with a target that can be romanced, tricked and then brutally forced into the sex trafficking market. Pimps use a variety of techniques to target and recruit a child into prostitution, from immediate force and violence as demonstrated in the case of two underage girls from Toledo, to the more common “loverboy” or boyfriend approach.
With either approach, pimps prey on and target girls who project a low self-esteem, or who have run away from home due to familial physical or sexual abuse. This provides the pimps with the opportunity to fill the gap of the lover or caretaker role as both “daddy and boyfriend”. The pimp will invest as much time as necessary into securing the trust and loyalty of his victim. He will fulfill all his promises, buy her nice things and say all the caring words that she has been longing for - biding time to turn the seemingly caring relationship into one of sexual exploitation and torture.
Mickey Royal, a self-proclaimed pimp who has written a book “The Pimp Game: Instruction Guide” explains the process:
“This is the first step in getting her to totally depend on you. You’ll start to dress her, think for her, own her. Her family will become her No. 1 enemy and she’ll attack them with all she has because they are trying to keep her from that which brings her joy - You. If you and your victim are sexually active, then slow it down. Once a week is fine. After sex, take her shopping for one item. Hair and/or nails are fine. She will develop a feeling of accomplishment. The shopping after a month will be replaced with cash. The love making turns into raw sex. She’ll start to crave the intimacy and be willing to get back into your good graces. After you have broken her spirit she has no sense of self-value. Now pimp, put a price tag on the item you have manufactured.”
Once she is locked in to this exploitation, it is extremely difficult to get out. The pimp controls every movement both physically and psychologically. He tells her what to wear, how much to charge, and who to serve. She is often not allowed to come home until the full quota of clients is met. All of the money is handed over to the pimp each night.
While the statistics of child sex trafficking in America are daunting it is clear from the recent arrests of child sex traffickers that awareness is leading to victim identification and response. We must applaud this aggressive action and encourage more awareness. Sex trafficking of children in America is real. It’s happening here, and we can take action to stop it.
source: http://www.zimbio.com/Humaning+Trafficking+Awareness/articles/67/Child+Sex+Trafficking+America+Pimp+Control
For educational purposes only
FBI seeks info in sex trafficking investigation
The FBI is asking residents of Northwest Indiana to provide confidential information in its investigation of sex trafficking conspiracy involving 16 minor and young-adult females.
Four Lake County residents and an Illinois resident have been charged in connection with that investigation in a 21-count superseding indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Justin Cephus, 31, Stanton Cephus, 28, and Jovan Stewart, 30, all of Hammond, Haneef Jackson-Bey, 20, of East Chicago, and Delbert Patterson, 19, of Steger, Ill., have been charged with conspiring to commit and committing sex trafficking and prostitution violations.
Justin and Stanton Cephus and Stewart were initially charged in a three-count indictment in March and were ordered detained pending trial “based on the danger they pose to the community and the likelihood that they would flee prior to trail,” the statement said.
The superseding indictment charges all five with participating in the conspiracy and committing one or more offenses involving the sex trafficking of minors, the transportation of minors across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, the sex trafficking of adult women through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, and the transportation of minor and adult women form Indiana to Illinois and from Illinois to Indiana for the purposes of prostitution, the statement said.
“From approximately February 2006 until January 2009, the defendants, led by Justin Cephus, who is charged in each of the 21 counts, ran a prostitution business out of his home and various other locations in and around Hammond,” the statement said. “The business, which advertised in the Yellow Pages in Illinois and Indiana under the names ‘Beauty Escorts,’ ‘Beautiful Entertainment,’ and ‘The Finest and the Best,’ provided sexual services to callers from Northwest Indiana and the Chicago, Ill., area.”
“Defendants used a variety of tactics to recruit girls and keep them working for the business, according to the indictment, including handing out business cards to pretty girls at retail outlets and telling them that the business involved ‘promotions,’ ‘modeling,’ ‘house cleaning,’ ‘private dancing,’ or ‘massage therapy,’” the statement said.
“Defendants are also alleged to have disclosed to girls that a popular music artist is the brother of defendant Patterson and that if they worked for the co-conspirators, they might get to meet the artist and possibly appear in his music videos,” the statement said. “The indictment lays out other methods used to keep girls going on calls, including the use of various forms of physical force, various kinds of fraud, and coercion.”
The investigation of this case is ongoing, the statement said, and is being led by the Chicago Division of the FBI, South Resident Agency. Also instrumental in the investigation have been the Cook County, Ill., Sheriff’s Police and the Hammond Police Department.
Citizens with information about this investigation are urged to contact the FBI at (312) 421-6700. All calls will be treated confidentially.
Four Lake County residents and an Illinois resident have been charged in connection with that investigation in a 21-count superseding indictment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Justin Cephus, 31, Stanton Cephus, 28, and Jovan Stewart, 30, all of Hammond, Haneef Jackson-Bey, 20, of East Chicago, and Delbert Patterson, 19, of Steger, Ill., have been charged with conspiring to commit and committing sex trafficking and prostitution violations.
Justin and Stanton Cephus and Stewart were initially charged in a three-count indictment in March and were ordered detained pending trial “based on the danger they pose to the community and the likelihood that they would flee prior to trail,” the statement said.
The superseding indictment charges all five with participating in the conspiracy and committing one or more offenses involving the sex trafficking of minors, the transportation of minors across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, the sex trafficking of adult women through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, and the transportation of minor and adult women form Indiana to Illinois and from Illinois to Indiana for the purposes of prostitution, the statement said.
“From approximately February 2006 until January 2009, the defendants, led by Justin Cephus, who is charged in each of the 21 counts, ran a prostitution business out of his home and various other locations in and around Hammond,” the statement said. “The business, which advertised in the Yellow Pages in Illinois and Indiana under the names ‘Beauty Escorts,’ ‘Beautiful Entertainment,’ and ‘The Finest and the Best,’ provided sexual services to callers from Northwest Indiana and the Chicago, Ill., area.”
“Defendants used a variety of tactics to recruit girls and keep them working for the business, according to the indictment, including handing out business cards to pretty girls at retail outlets and telling them that the business involved ‘promotions,’ ‘modeling,’ ‘house cleaning,’ ‘private dancing,’ or ‘massage therapy,’” the statement said.
“Defendants are also alleged to have disclosed to girls that a popular music artist is the brother of defendant Patterson and that if they worked for the co-conspirators, they might get to meet the artist and possibly appear in his music videos,” the statement said. “The indictment lays out other methods used to keep girls going on calls, including the use of various forms of physical force, various kinds of fraud, and coercion.”
The investigation of this case is ongoing, the statement said, and is being led by the Chicago Division of the FBI, South Resident Agency. Also instrumental in the investigation have been the Cook County, Ill., Sheriff’s Police and the Hammond Police Department.
Citizens with information about this investigation are urged to contact the FBI at (312) 421-6700. All calls will be treated confidentially.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
What Every Family Must Know When A Loved One Is Missing
By Deputy Coroner Investigator David Van Norman, Unidentified Persons Coordinator
03/05/08
WHAT EVERY FAMILY MUST KNOW:
When a loved one is reported missing there is every right to expect that some large law enforcement investigative machine trundles into action; police fan out in all directions, and the search is on for the missing person. I am sorry to say that nothing can be further from the truth!
In the real world missing-person detectives are overwhelmed by the shear volume of missing persons cases and a plethora of other investigative duties, including investigating rapes, assaults, burglaries, etc. Most detectives receive no special training in missing persons investigation, which is unfortunate in light of the fact that the missing person assignment is like no other type of law enforcement duty – requiring an entirely different kind of focus and skill set.
This is the reality. We can cry about it, or we understand what to do about it! Until federal and state legislation catches up and mandates every law enforcement agency in the country investigate missing person cases properly, it is up to you to make the right choices and ensure that what must be done, is done correctly.
WHAT EVERY FAMILY MUST DO:
We must ensure that if a loved one is missing that we put everything into play that will ensure that they are detected when they appear on law enforcement’s radar. We must erect “Velcro Walls” in cyberspace; walls created from identifier records that relate to the missing person, and catch hold of corresponding identifier records for an unidentified person ANYWHERE in the United States (or beyond).
The fact is that a vast majority of missing persons return on their own, without any intervention by law enforcement (which is another reason that some police officers are loath to dedicate time and resources to a missing person, particularly runaways – believing that 95% of the time they just come home anyway!). However, for that small percentage that do not return, we all know that they are on this planet somewhere, and that they are either actively hiding from us, need our help, or are ignorant of our search for them.
It is estimated that there are over 40,000 unidentified persons under investigation across the US. This is a staggering number. Even more staggering is that only about 7,000 are being actively entered into the FBI’s NCIC (the National Crime Information Center)! Although most of the unidentified persons are deceased, it is estimated that as many as 30% to 40% are living. Some are unwilling to identify themselves; they are actively hiding from us. Some are unable to identify themselves; they are confused by Alzheimer’s, incapacitated by mental disability, or by injury – or they are dead. Whatever the reason, alive or not, how can it be that these persons have not been identified? How many must be on the rolls of the 111,000 active long-term missing persons cases in the US?
This is why:
Forget what you saw on last night’s episode of CSI! There are only three scientifically-acceptable ways to identify someone who is either unwilling or unable to identify themselves: fingerprints, dental records, and DNA.
Notice I did not mention photographs. It isn’t that photographs do not have their uses; statistically one in six missing persons returns home as a direct result of a photograph on a poster or a website. It is just that they do the unidentified person investigator no good. No competent investigator will swear in a court of law that a photograph matches a decedent – there are far too many post-mortem changes, and too many people appear similar. That mug-shot may be probable cause to stop a suspect, but that officer will next confirm the identity with fingerprints, or by some other means.
Keep the photographs on the posters and websites, but the only type of imaging that is of any use to a forensic investigator is a “smiling” photograph depicting the missing person’s teeth, or a “talking” video, showing the missing person’s teeth. Those can be compared to an unidentified person’s teeth by a forensic dentist.
Fingerprints, dental records, and DNA! These are the critical minimum records that must be submitted into law enforcement’s searchable databases.
Currently, on average missing persons records across the United States include the following records at the following rates:
Fingerprints – Less than 1%
Dental Records – About 4%
DNA – Much less than 1%
No wonder there are 40,000 unidentified persons!
CRITICAL FIRST STEP:
The first step is the most critical: The missing loved one MUST be reported missing to a law enforcement agency, and that agency MUST enter the record into NCIC (the National Crime Information Center). This must happen IMMEDIATELY. Federal law prohibits the establishment of a waiting period to report someone missing. I don’t care if the person was last seen walking out the door ten minutes ago- they are gone now!
There is a “logic convention” in law enforcement that the person should be reported missing to the agency with jurisdiction over the place of residence. The reasoning seems to be that a person is likely to return to familiar locations, such as home. However, serious consideration should be given to the location that the person was last seen – particularly if the story is that the person was seen being bundled into the back seat of a blacked-out Mafia car! In California Penal Code 14205 is specific: “All local police and sheriffs' departments shall accept any report of a missing person, including runaways, without delay and shall give priority to the handling of these reports over the handling of reports relating to crimes involving property… the reports shall be submitted within four hours after acceptance to NCIC via CLETS.” Technically that means that it doesn’t matter whether the person was never in California, and was last seen on the Space Shuttle! If the phone rings at a police station in California, and a person is missing, the report should be taken. It doesn’t matter if little Jenny has just run away for the 10th time – for all we know, this time she ran straight into the arms of Jack the Ripper! The family will encounter some typical law enforcement attitudes: “There is no law against being missing!” True, but there isn’t any law against taking the report – and in fact, at least in California, there is a law against NOT taking the report! “There is no evidence that anything bad has happened.” True, but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence! Since Jenny is missing we have no reason to believe she is safe, either. Unless the investigator believes that she is in the Penthouse Suite at the local Holiday Inn, eating bon-bons and sipping ice tea, then she is probably living on the streets with every scum-sucking bastard in society trolling like sharks for little girls just like her! Take the report and get the information broadcasting in NCIC!
Nothing happens without the NCIC record. The NCIC computer chugs away all night long looking for matches between unidentified and missing person records. If a possible match is found between two records, a teletype is sent to both agencies. We receive approximately 1,500 of these match-ups per year for San Bernardino’s 250 long term unidentified person cases. It is then up to the agencies to compare the identifier records, IF they were collected.
If one or the other record is not in NCIC, there IS NO WAY TO MATCH THEM TOGETHER!
THE IDENTIFIERS:
The family MUST assist law enforcement in locating, securing, and submitting these records. Not only must they assist, but they must sometimes INSIST that law enforcement take these records, AND they must make sure that these records are properly submitted into the searchable databases. Many law enforcement investigators I speak to across the country do not know what must be done with these records. This is what must happen:
FINGERPRINTS
The missing person’s fingerprints may be located via a wide variety of sources, including (but not limited to): arrests, employment and background applications, military service, and even through check-cashing facilities and social services. If the missing person in California had ever applied for a driver’s license or identification card, a right thumbprint is available to law enforcement at the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The fingerprints (yes, even the single thumbprint) should be “registered” (not just “run”) into Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS - State) AND the Integrated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS - FBI). Many investigators are under the impression that only criminal fingerprint records may be “registered” into AFIS. The fact is that AFIS is a database to be used for law enforcement purposes, and this is one of its purposes!
IAFIS has a much more enlightened and progressive attitude. Fingerprints can be submitted by mail (after submission to AFIS) to the FBI, CJIS Division, in Clarksburg, WV, or by FAX. IAFIS is broken into regions across the United States, each with a regional coordinator (information available on-line at http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/iafis.htm).
Family members should assist the missing person investigator by locating any possible fingerprints sources, and assisting in getting these submitted.
It is critical that the fingerprint record (AFIS and IAFIS) be referenced by tracking number in the NCIC record. Such a comment may be stated as follows: “FINGERPRINTS ON FILE WITH SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF CAL-ID (909-890-5000) CAL-ID #9999999.”
DENTAL RECORDS
These records are perishable, and MUST be obtained as soon as possible! California dental and medical providers are only required to maintain these records for 7 years. This sounds like a long time, unless you consider that the missing person may have not seen a dentist for five years, disappeared two years ago, and may not be found for another ten years. Lock down the records NOW!
Order copies – leave original records with dental or medical providers and tell them to “freeze” the file forever. Once obtained, these records must be mailed (or emailed) to your state missing persons clearinghouse. For a list of missing person clearinghouses by state refer to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website: (http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/ServiceServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=1421). The NCIC record must be updated to described the availability of dental X-rays and charts, and the dental characteristics must be coded for entry into the NCIC record:
DENTAL INFORMATION – DXR/Y - DENTAL CHARACTERISTICS (DCH) ARE AVAILABLE
DENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
1X 32X
2MO 31DO
3M 30V
4V 29V
5V 28V
6V 27/
7/ 26/
8/ 25V
9V 24V
10V 23V
11V 22V
12V 21V
13V 20V
14O 19MODF
15DO 18O
16V 17X
These dental characteristics are critical for the quick comparisons and rule-outs by a trained unidentified person investigator by comparing which of the missing person’s teeth have modifications (fillings or other dental work) with the deceased person’s (or unidentified living person’s) teeth. For example, if a missing person has a filling in tooth number 14, and the same tooth for the unidentified person has never been modified – it is a rule out: teeth don’t heal. These dental records (charts and X-rays) should also be entered into The National Dental Image Repository (NDIR), which is available to law enforcement through the FBI’s LEO network (Law Enforcement On-line). The NCIC record should be modified to state the following: “DENTAL X-RAYS AND CHARTS AVAILABLE ON NDIR.” The Unidentified Persons Investigator wouldn’t even need to contact the missing person investigating agency to check the dental X-rays directly.
DNA
The best source of a missing person’s DNA is from the missing person himself (or herself) – referred to as a “direct” DNA sample. Missing persons leave their DNA behind on toothbrushes, shaving razors, hairbrushes, finger and toenail clippings, unwashed clothing, hats, chewing gum, etc. Use your imagination. If these items were not left behind (and even if they were), “reference” DNA samples should be obtained from blood relatives.
The best “reference DNA” would come from the missing person’s identical twin siblings (monozygotic twins) or both biological parents. If one parent is not available, then the available parent (hopefully the mother, because it is the mother that passes down mtDNA) should be sampled, along with as many full siblings as possible.
The sampling procedure is simple; basically a q-tip is swabbed on the inside of the subject’s mouth. But, the sample should not be submitted to just any DNA lab. Since our goal is to have the missing person’s DNA profile to be available for comparison to unidentified persons nationwide, the samples must be entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS - FBI). There are only a few DNA labs certified to complete a DNA profile and submit to CODIS (a list of such labs are available on the CODIS website). California has one: Department of Justice, Missing/Unidentified Persons DNA Program (DOJ-DNA). They accept personal items (toothbrushes, etc.) and buccal swabs. If the missing person was reported to a California law enforcement agency, then regardless of where the missing person’s family member is located, the agency should contact California DOJ and request that the free kits be mailed to the investigator. If the missing person was reported to a law enforcement agency in a state that does not have its own certified lab, then DNA samples may be submitted to either the Federal Bureau of Investigation directly, or to the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas (Phone: 800-763-3147 - Website: www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/pathology_anatomy/dna/forensic.htm).
On average it will take a period of months for a missing person’s DNA profile to be developed and entered into CODIS. The NCIC record must be updated to describe the availability of a DNA sample in CODIS, including any reference numbers.
TEAMWORK
A missing person is too important to be left to one person. Those family members who wish to “leave it to the professionals,” and sit back on the couch to let the police do the work will probably get out of this what they put into it. I prefer the Team Approach, with the family involved in a productive way. We must help law enforcement to accomplish this mission, and if they do not know how, we can show them the way.
If there is any way that I can assist, please contact me:
David Van Norman
Deputy Coroner Investigator/Unidentified-Missing Persons Coordinator
San Bernardino County Sheriff Department - Coroner Division
175 S. Lena Rd., San Bernardino, CA 92415
Office: 909-387-2978
Desk: 909-388-0159
FAX: 909-387-2989
Email: dvannorman@sbcsd.org
03/05/08
WHAT EVERY FAMILY MUST KNOW:
When a loved one is reported missing there is every right to expect that some large law enforcement investigative machine trundles into action; police fan out in all directions, and the search is on for the missing person. I am sorry to say that nothing can be further from the truth!
In the real world missing-person detectives are overwhelmed by the shear volume of missing persons cases and a plethora of other investigative duties, including investigating rapes, assaults, burglaries, etc. Most detectives receive no special training in missing persons investigation, which is unfortunate in light of the fact that the missing person assignment is like no other type of law enforcement duty – requiring an entirely different kind of focus and skill set.
This is the reality. We can cry about it, or we understand what to do about it! Until federal and state legislation catches up and mandates every law enforcement agency in the country investigate missing person cases properly, it is up to you to make the right choices and ensure that what must be done, is done correctly.
WHAT EVERY FAMILY MUST DO:
We must ensure that if a loved one is missing that we put everything into play that will ensure that they are detected when they appear on law enforcement’s radar. We must erect “Velcro Walls” in cyberspace; walls created from identifier records that relate to the missing person, and catch hold of corresponding identifier records for an unidentified person ANYWHERE in the United States (or beyond).
The fact is that a vast majority of missing persons return on their own, without any intervention by law enforcement (which is another reason that some police officers are loath to dedicate time and resources to a missing person, particularly runaways – believing that 95% of the time they just come home anyway!). However, for that small percentage that do not return, we all know that they are on this planet somewhere, and that they are either actively hiding from us, need our help, or are ignorant of our search for them.
It is estimated that there are over 40,000 unidentified persons under investigation across the US. This is a staggering number. Even more staggering is that only about 7,000 are being actively entered into the FBI’s NCIC (the National Crime Information Center)! Although most of the unidentified persons are deceased, it is estimated that as many as 30% to 40% are living. Some are unwilling to identify themselves; they are actively hiding from us. Some are unable to identify themselves; they are confused by Alzheimer’s, incapacitated by mental disability, or by injury – or they are dead. Whatever the reason, alive or not, how can it be that these persons have not been identified? How many must be on the rolls of the 111,000 active long-term missing persons cases in the US?
This is why:
Forget what you saw on last night’s episode of CSI! There are only three scientifically-acceptable ways to identify someone who is either unwilling or unable to identify themselves: fingerprints, dental records, and DNA.
Notice I did not mention photographs. It isn’t that photographs do not have their uses; statistically one in six missing persons returns home as a direct result of a photograph on a poster or a website. It is just that they do the unidentified person investigator no good. No competent investigator will swear in a court of law that a photograph matches a decedent – there are far too many post-mortem changes, and too many people appear similar. That mug-shot may be probable cause to stop a suspect, but that officer will next confirm the identity with fingerprints, or by some other means.
Keep the photographs on the posters and websites, but the only type of imaging that is of any use to a forensic investigator is a “smiling” photograph depicting the missing person’s teeth, or a “talking” video, showing the missing person’s teeth. Those can be compared to an unidentified person’s teeth by a forensic dentist.
Fingerprints, dental records, and DNA! These are the critical minimum records that must be submitted into law enforcement’s searchable databases.
Currently, on average missing persons records across the United States include the following records at the following rates:
Fingerprints – Less than 1%
Dental Records – About 4%
DNA – Much less than 1%
No wonder there are 40,000 unidentified persons!
CRITICAL FIRST STEP:
The first step is the most critical: The missing loved one MUST be reported missing to a law enforcement agency, and that agency MUST enter the record into NCIC (the National Crime Information Center). This must happen IMMEDIATELY. Federal law prohibits the establishment of a waiting period to report someone missing. I don’t care if the person was last seen walking out the door ten minutes ago- they are gone now!
There is a “logic convention” in law enforcement that the person should be reported missing to the agency with jurisdiction over the place of residence. The reasoning seems to be that a person is likely to return to familiar locations, such as home. However, serious consideration should be given to the location that the person was last seen – particularly if the story is that the person was seen being bundled into the back seat of a blacked-out Mafia car! In California Penal Code 14205 is specific: “All local police and sheriffs' departments shall accept any report of a missing person, including runaways, without delay and shall give priority to the handling of these reports over the handling of reports relating to crimes involving property… the reports shall be submitted within four hours after acceptance to NCIC via CLETS.” Technically that means that it doesn’t matter whether the person was never in California, and was last seen on the Space Shuttle! If the phone rings at a police station in California, and a person is missing, the report should be taken. It doesn’t matter if little Jenny has just run away for the 10th time – for all we know, this time she ran straight into the arms of Jack the Ripper! The family will encounter some typical law enforcement attitudes: “There is no law against being missing!” True, but there isn’t any law against taking the report – and in fact, at least in California, there is a law against NOT taking the report! “There is no evidence that anything bad has happened.” True, but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence! Since Jenny is missing we have no reason to believe she is safe, either. Unless the investigator believes that she is in the Penthouse Suite at the local Holiday Inn, eating bon-bons and sipping ice tea, then she is probably living on the streets with every scum-sucking bastard in society trolling like sharks for little girls just like her! Take the report and get the information broadcasting in NCIC!
Nothing happens without the NCIC record. The NCIC computer chugs away all night long looking for matches between unidentified and missing person records. If a possible match is found between two records, a teletype is sent to both agencies. We receive approximately 1,500 of these match-ups per year for San Bernardino’s 250 long term unidentified person cases. It is then up to the agencies to compare the identifier records, IF they were collected.
If one or the other record is not in NCIC, there IS NO WAY TO MATCH THEM TOGETHER!
THE IDENTIFIERS:
The family MUST assist law enforcement in locating, securing, and submitting these records. Not only must they assist, but they must sometimes INSIST that law enforcement take these records, AND they must make sure that these records are properly submitted into the searchable databases. Many law enforcement investigators I speak to across the country do not know what must be done with these records. This is what must happen:
FINGERPRINTS
The missing person’s fingerprints may be located via a wide variety of sources, including (but not limited to): arrests, employment and background applications, military service, and even through check-cashing facilities and social services. If the missing person in California had ever applied for a driver’s license or identification card, a right thumbprint is available to law enforcement at the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The fingerprints (yes, even the single thumbprint) should be “registered” (not just “run”) into Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS - State) AND the Integrated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS - FBI). Many investigators are under the impression that only criminal fingerprint records may be “registered” into AFIS. The fact is that AFIS is a database to be used for law enforcement purposes, and this is one of its purposes!
IAFIS has a much more enlightened and progressive attitude. Fingerprints can be submitted by mail (after submission to AFIS) to the FBI, CJIS Division, in Clarksburg, WV, or by FAX. IAFIS is broken into regions across the United States, each with a regional coordinator (information available on-line at http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/iafis.htm).
Family members should assist the missing person investigator by locating any possible fingerprints sources, and assisting in getting these submitted.
It is critical that the fingerprint record (AFIS and IAFIS) be referenced by tracking number in the NCIC record. Such a comment may be stated as follows: “FINGERPRINTS ON FILE WITH SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF CAL-ID (909-890-5000) CAL-ID #9999999.”
DENTAL RECORDS
These records are perishable, and MUST be obtained as soon as possible! California dental and medical providers are only required to maintain these records for 7 years. This sounds like a long time, unless you consider that the missing person may have not seen a dentist for five years, disappeared two years ago, and may not be found for another ten years. Lock down the records NOW!
Order copies – leave original records with dental or medical providers and tell them to “freeze” the file forever. Once obtained, these records must be mailed (or emailed) to your state missing persons clearinghouse. For a list of missing person clearinghouses by state refer to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website: (http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/ServiceServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=1421). The NCIC record must be updated to described the availability of dental X-rays and charts, and the dental characteristics must be coded for entry into the NCIC record:
DENTAL INFORMATION – DXR/Y - DENTAL CHARACTERISTICS (DCH) ARE AVAILABLE
DENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
1X 32X
2MO 31DO
3M 30V
4V 29V
5V 28V
6V 27/
7/ 26/
8/ 25V
9V 24V
10V 23V
11V 22V
12V 21V
13V 20V
14O 19MODF
15DO 18O
16V 17X
These dental characteristics are critical for the quick comparisons and rule-outs by a trained unidentified person investigator by comparing which of the missing person’s teeth have modifications (fillings or other dental work) with the deceased person’s (or unidentified living person’s) teeth. For example, if a missing person has a filling in tooth number 14, and the same tooth for the unidentified person has never been modified – it is a rule out: teeth don’t heal. These dental records (charts and X-rays) should also be entered into The National Dental Image Repository (NDIR), which is available to law enforcement through the FBI’s LEO network (Law Enforcement On-line). The NCIC record should be modified to state the following: “DENTAL X-RAYS AND CHARTS AVAILABLE ON NDIR.” The Unidentified Persons Investigator wouldn’t even need to contact the missing person investigating agency to check the dental X-rays directly.
DNA
The best source of a missing person’s DNA is from the missing person himself (or herself) – referred to as a “direct” DNA sample. Missing persons leave their DNA behind on toothbrushes, shaving razors, hairbrushes, finger and toenail clippings, unwashed clothing, hats, chewing gum, etc. Use your imagination. If these items were not left behind (and even if they were), “reference” DNA samples should be obtained from blood relatives.
The best “reference DNA” would come from the missing person’s identical twin siblings (monozygotic twins) or both biological parents. If one parent is not available, then the available parent (hopefully the mother, because it is the mother that passes down mtDNA) should be sampled, along with as many full siblings as possible.
The sampling procedure is simple; basically a q-tip is swabbed on the inside of the subject’s mouth. But, the sample should not be submitted to just any DNA lab. Since our goal is to have the missing person’s DNA profile to be available for comparison to unidentified persons nationwide, the samples must be entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS - FBI). There are only a few DNA labs certified to complete a DNA profile and submit to CODIS (a list of such labs are available on the CODIS website). California has one: Department of Justice, Missing/Unidentified Persons DNA Program (DOJ-DNA). They accept personal items (toothbrushes, etc.) and buccal swabs. If the missing person was reported to a California law enforcement agency, then regardless of where the missing person’s family member is located, the agency should contact California DOJ and request that the free kits be mailed to the investigator. If the missing person was reported to a law enforcement agency in a state that does not have its own certified lab, then DNA samples may be submitted to either the Federal Bureau of Investigation directly, or to the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas (Phone: 800-763-3147 - Website: www.hsc.unt.edu/departments/pathology_anatomy/dna/forensic.htm).
On average it will take a period of months for a missing person’s DNA profile to be developed and entered into CODIS. The NCIC record must be updated to describe the availability of a DNA sample in CODIS, including any reference numbers.
TEAMWORK
A missing person is too important to be left to one person. Those family members who wish to “leave it to the professionals,” and sit back on the couch to let the police do the work will probably get out of this what they put into it. I prefer the Team Approach, with the family involved in a productive way. We must help law enforcement to accomplish this mission, and if they do not know how, we can show them the way.
If there is any way that I can assist, please contact me:
David Van Norman
Deputy Coroner Investigator/Unidentified-Missing Persons Coordinator
San Bernardino County Sheriff Department - Coroner Division
175 S. Lena Rd., San Bernardino, CA 92415
Office: 909-387-2978
Desk: 909-388-0159
FAX: 909-387-2989
Email: dvannorman@sbcsd.org
Human trafficking experts call for police training in D.C. bill
The District is rated as one of the top 10 locations for human trafficking in the country and several nonprofit groups told D.C. Council members that police officers should be trained to recognize human trafficking cases as the city steps up its efforts to fight it.
Representatives of groups like Polaris Project, Free the Slaves and Fair Fund made their request during a public hearing on a human trafficking bill Monday. If passed in its current form, the bill would make human trafficking for the purposes of sex and labor a crime. It would allow victims to sue their pimps and require the city to keep statistics on trafficking cases.
On Monday, the anti-human-trafficking groups also asked that the bill include training for police officers and other first responders.
"Young people are not able to express their victimization in ways that clearly identify it," said Andrea Powell, co-director of Fair Fund. "Cases that are not reported result in continued abuse."
The groups said District police officers received periodic training between 2004 and 2007, but it was cut when federal funding went dry. A police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm the training history.
Aashika Damodar, of Free the Slaves, told the council members of how she recently called police to report a brothel in the Dupont Circle area -- only to be laughed at by the officer who answered the phone. She said Free the Slaves and other groups had found evidence of human trafficking at brothels in downtown D.C.
In May, an Examiner investigation revealed that police had frequently raided the same alleged brothels Damodar had pointed out and arrested suspected prostitutes only to release them back to the streets.
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, who introduced the human trafficking bill, told The Examiner that he will look into adding police training to it, but "it would be unusual to put into a statute training like that." He noted that he would like to ask the police chief about the training, but neither she nor anyone else from the Fenty administration had appeared at the hearing.
"It's part of an ongoing problem with the executive branch," Mendelson said.
fklopott@washingtonexaminer.com
source:http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Human-trafficking-experts-call-for-police-training-in-D_C_-bill-7932152-50073252.html
For educational purposes only
Representatives of groups like Polaris Project, Free the Slaves and Fair Fund made their request during a public hearing on a human trafficking bill Monday. If passed in its current form, the bill would make human trafficking for the purposes of sex and labor a crime. It would allow victims to sue their pimps and require the city to keep statistics on trafficking cases.
On Monday, the anti-human-trafficking groups also asked that the bill include training for police officers and other first responders.
"Young people are not able to express their victimization in ways that clearly identify it," said Andrea Powell, co-director of Fair Fund. "Cases that are not reported result in continued abuse."
The groups said District police officers received periodic training between 2004 and 2007, but it was cut when federal funding went dry. A police spokeswoman could not immediately confirm the training history.
Aashika Damodar, of Free the Slaves, told the council members of how she recently called police to report a brothel in the Dupont Circle area -- only to be laughed at by the officer who answered the phone. She said Free the Slaves and other groups had found evidence of human trafficking at brothels in downtown D.C.
In May, an Examiner investigation revealed that police had frequently raided the same alleged brothels Damodar had pointed out and arrested suspected prostitutes only to release them back to the streets.
At-large Councilman Phil Mendelson, who introduced the human trafficking bill, told The Examiner that he will look into adding police training to it, but "it would be unusual to put into a statute training like that." He noted that he would like to ask the police chief about the training, but neither she nor anyone else from the Fenty administration had appeared at the hearing.
"It's part of an ongoing problem with the executive branch," Mendelson said.
fklopott@washingtonexaminer.com
source:http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Human-trafficking-experts-call-for-police-training-in-D_C_-bill-7932152-50073252.html
For educational purposes only
Making the Connections Web Resources
Human Trafficking is a Web Resource dedicated to all things human trafficking. It seems to have just about every angle covered, from recent updates to the status of human trafficking in countries around the world.
The Polaris Project is a group working for a world without slavery which, while slightly more broad than my topic, also includes human trafficking. It deals primarily with the United States and its role in all these different aspects of modern day slavery, including where people can get involved in various cities both in the United States (such as Denver) and even Tokyo.
CBS News has a page dedicated to the story they did on forced teenage slavery and prostitution, titled “The Realities of Human Trafficking.” It is a good resource for news stories and other links like that, as a way to back up what the other website talk about.
The FBI has a page dedicated to human trafficking and how they are working to stop it. They encourage people to report anything they think might constitute human trafficking, as well as promoting resources for victims of human trafficking.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) seems to have a more comprehensive site than the FBI, even walking a person through the prosecution that would happen of a person accused of human trafficking. It is, again, a good resource for people in the United States who need assistance. But the odds that a person being held against their will would be able to access the DOJ website and understand what it is talking about is slim, at best.
Interpol aims to provide communication and mutual assistance between law enforcement agencies around the world, this is their website on human trafficking. I feel these types of organizations are extremely important because one country putting its foot down will not be enough to truly end this problem; it will take international cooperation to really make a difference.
The UN GIFT (Global Intitiative to Fight Human Trafficking) provides some great resources and definitions of human trafficking. This is another international body that can work to get things done beyond a country’s borders, when needed.
This report on Estimated Human Trafficking in the United States provides information on a study funded by the United States Government in an attempt to find how much human trafficking does occur within the United States. A great resouce for detailed information on the United States and its role in this problem.
This Trafficking in Persons Report of 2007 was done by the State department. It is slightly more recent than the other report I linked to, but they both seem to be full of important information.
This Fact Sheet for Schools teaches people involved in the education system how to look for signs of trouble and what they should do if they suspect something. While people who have been trafficked are not often out in public I fee it is vital for people in those positions of authority to be trained in what to look for in order to help just in case they ever find themselves in that position.
This blog called Radical Left makes the argument that the Western Left is being hypocritical and pushings its values on other countries. I have a huge problem with the article – for one it uses the word “trafficked” in quotation marks to show their disbelief that these women are even forced anywhere against their will in the first place. All I have to say to that is… “wth”???
source:http://tinyurl.com/n8c3m
For educational purposes only
link to the original article: http://www.radicalleft.net/blog/_archives/2009/7
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
