Two weeks ago the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office promoted two people Christopher Wilson and Samuel Contreras to become the first Human Trafficking Investigators at the agency.
The two positions are funded by the Anti-Human Trafficking Grant that was approved by the Arizona State Legislature and signed by the Governor last session. The two investigators will work with PANT – Partners Against Narcotics Trafficking – a multi-agency task force in Yavapai County. The investigators are tasked with driving down demand for and assisting the victims of sex trafficking.
The United States Department of Justice defines human trafficking as:
Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, is a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts. The coercion can be subtle or overt, physical, or psychological. Exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking, regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion was used.
It is estimated that there are between 30 and 50 victims of sex trafficking currently in Yavapai County. It should be noted that sex traffickers do not only target immigrants from other countries. They also prey on the young and others who are estranged from their families, live in poverty or susceptible to grooming in other ways.
There are numerous difficulties in breaking up sex trafficking rings that include the short period of time they may be in one location, as well as the fear of the victims to report or even confirm their predicament. However, since 2013 there have been numerous sting operations in Yavapai County executed with partner agencies, including the last two that yielded the arrest of 8 people trying to hire underage girls.
YCSO and PANT will use the new positions and the funding to further the agency’s mission of increasing the law enforcement capabilities in the county to keep communities safe.
The importance of the inclusion of two people dedicated specifically to the eradication of sex trafficking rings and the arrest of the traffickers themselves cannot be understated,” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes. “Protecting some of the most vulnerable people in our society has to be a priority, and the funding from the State goes a long way in allowing us to focus on this vulnerable population.”