Combating 

Child Sex

Trafficking

A Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders
This project is supported by cooperative agreement number 2012-CK-WX-K033 

awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department 

of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily 

represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to 

specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.

The Internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. 

Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the COPS Office 

can vouch for their current validity.

Recommended citation: International Association of Chiefs of Police. 2016. Combating Child 

Sex Trafficking: A Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders. Washington, DC: Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services.

ISBN: 978-1-935676-88-1

Published 2016
Contents

Introduction 1

Defining Child Sex Trafficking 2

Scope of Child Sex Trafficking 2

Characteristics of Child Sex Trafficking 3

Challenges Faced by Law Enforcement 4

Partners in Addressing Child Sex Trafficking 5

Tips for Law Enforcement Leaders 6

Train Your Officers ................................... 6

Know Your Resources ................................. 7

Partner for Success .................................... 7

Engage Your Community 8

Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships in Action 9

Interdiction for the Protection of Children ................... 9

Juvenile Human Trafficking Screening Checklist 10

High Risk Victims Model. 11

Joint Police-Victim Specialist Response 11

Neighborhood Block Watch 12

IACP Resources 13

About the IACP 16

About the COPS Office 17

Combating Child Sex Trafficking 1

Introduction

Child sex trafficking involves a number of complex crimes requiring law enforcement to 

collaborate with multiple community partners to identify and respond to child victims, 

while holding accountable those who are responsible for their exploitation. This includes 

working closely with prosecutors, schools, victim service providers, parole and probation, 

juvenile justice departments, child welfare agencies, and members of the community.

This guide aims to assist law enforcement leaders in adopting effective multidisciplinary approaches to address child sex trafficking in their communities. This guide 

describes the following:

 The crime of child sex trafficking

 The challenges in combating child sex trafficking 

 Essential steps for law enforcement leaders to take in their jurisdictions

 Partners who can help law enforcement 

 Successful multidisciplinary practices in communities around the country

Top 10 Things to Know about Child Sex Trafficking

1. It happens to American kids on American soil.

2. It does not require travel or transportation.

3. Traffickers do not always use violence.

4. Victims come from all backgrounds and demographics.

5. Trafficking is not the same as smuggling.

6. It operates in the open, on streets, in schools, at businesses.

7. It happens anywhere—rural counties, small towns, big cities, 

and everywhere in between.

8. Child victims are victims even when engaging in criminal 

behavior (e.g., prostitution).

9. Victims typically do not see themselves as victims and 

will rarely seek help.

10. What looks like a choice may actually be against a person’s 

will because of fear of violence or retaliation by the trafficker.
2 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

Defining Child Sex Trafficking

Child sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining 

of a child under 18 years of age for the purpose of a commercial sex act. The term “commercial sex act” means any sex act through which anything of value is given to, or received 

by, any person.1

1. 22 U.S.C. § 7102 (9–10), accessed August 31, 2015, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/7102.

Scope of Child Sex Trafficking

Between 2003 and 2014, task forces comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement 

officers established under the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Innocence Lost 

National Initiative

 rescued nearly 4,800 children from sex trafficking within the United States;

 led to more than 2,000 convictions of pimps and others who trafficked minors;

 resulted in lengthy prison sentences, including 15 life terms;

 seized more than $3. 1 million in assets.2

One in six endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited 

Children in 2014 were likely victims of sex trafficking.3

 In 2014, the National Human 

Trafficking Resource Center hotline received 1,581 reports of potential human trafficking 

cases involving child victims in the United States.4

2. Sandra Berchtold (supervisory special agent, Violent Crimes Against Children Section, Federal 

Bureau of Investigation), e-mail to Kelly Burke (program manager, International Association of Chiefs 

of Police), September 2, 2015.

3. Child Sex Trafficking (Alexandria, VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, n.d.),

http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/documents/CST_1in6_infographic.pdf. 

4. Human Trafficking and Minors: 1/1/2014–12/31/14 (National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 

2015), http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/resources/human-trafficking-and-minors.
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 3

Characteristics of Child Sex Trafficking

Victims of child sex trafficking can be children, both female and male, who have run away 

or are homeless, are abused or neglected, have unmet needs, are unsuspecting or naïve, 

have disabilities or mental illness, or have vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Socioeconomic status does not affect victimization. It is common for victims to have experienced 

a history of physical and sexual abuse.5

Victims are typically enticed by traffickers through a process known as grooming. The 

process involves the trafficker meeting the victim’s needs by providing attention, affection, 

a sense of belonging, or recognition. The trafficker is able to fulfill a need, either real or 

perceived, that other people in the victim’s life may not be. As the trafficker’s emotional 

manipulation takes effect, the trafficker becomes increasingly more controlling of the victim. At times, the trafficker may go beyond emotional abuse and use threats or acts of 

violence to control their victims.

Traffickers are often known as pimps, daddies, boyfriends, or madams. No matter the 

label, child sex traffickers entice child victims to engage in sex acts for money. The trafficker financially benefits by receiving the monetary proceeds of the child’s exploitation. 

Traffickers use a number of techniques known as “pimp control” to manipulate victims 

into doing exactly what the trafficker wants. These techniques may include violence, sexual assault, coercion, threats, dependency, isolation, or manipulation.6

 The trafficker’s 

main goal is to exploit victims for his or her own monetary gain.7

 Traffickers do not fit 

one specific social, ethnic, or racial profile. The child can already know them, including 

members of the child’s family. Traffickers are not only men but also women.8

5. Linda Smith, Samantha Vardaman, and Melissa Snow, National Report on Domestic Minor Sex 

Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children (Washington, DC: Shared Hope International, 2009), 31.

6. Ibid., 37.

7. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Fact Sheet (Alexandria, VA: National Center for 

Missing and Exploited Children, 2010), http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/documents/CCSE_

Fact_Sheet.pdf.

8. Amanda Walker-Rodriguez and Rodney Hill, “Human Sex Trafficking,” FBI Law Enforcement 

Bulletin (March 2011), 1–9, https://leb.fbi.gov/2011/march/leb-march-2011.

Where might traffickers recruit or exploit child victims?

 Hotels or motels

 Homes

 Schools

 Malls or other shopping centers
4 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

 House parties

 Internet and social media

 Phone calls or text messages

 Truck stops or highway rest areas

 Streets or train tracks

 Transport centers (e.g., bus stops, train stations, or airports)

 Major events (e.g., Super Bowl or Final Four games)

 Vehicles

 Restaurants

Challenges Faced by Law Enforcement

The identification and investigation of child sex trafficking cases pose many challenges 

for law enforcement. One challenge is the lack of awareness and training for law enforcement in how to recognize possible child sex trafficking situations. Too often, law enforcement officers respond to crimes that are often associated with child sex trafficking, such 

as domestic violence, sexual assault, drug activity, or illegal weapon possession, but don’t 

recognize the indicators of child sex trafficking. Research by the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis 

Unit found that traffickers are typically already known to law enforcement, even if their 

trafficking activity is not known. These are not the type of offenders who operate under 

the radar. Often traffickers are operating in the open and interacting with law enforcement regularly.9

 

Another challenge faced by law enforcement is identifying victims of child sex trafficking. 

Individuals targeted by traffickers typically do not see themselves as victims and will not 

disclose information, including their own exploitation because of threats made by the trafficker. This makes it difficult for law enforcement to properly identify the crime and can 

result in mislabeling the crime and stigmatizing the victim as a criminal. The inappropriate 

and erroneous labeling of the crime and perpetrator leads to continuous victimization 

and creates situations where victims are unable to access the full variety of services that 

could assist them in their recovery, and the traffickers continue to elude prosecution.10

9. Terri D. Patterson (supervisory special agent, Behavioral Analysis Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation), interviewed by Kelly Burke (program manager, International Association of Chiefs of Police), 

August 4, 2014.

10. Smith et al., National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, 46 (see note 5).
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 5

Law enforcement also faces the challenge of identifying and securing the locations of victims because traffickers often transport victims to different areas. In order to avoid detection and continue benefiting from the exploitation of children, traffickers often move 

victims to new locations, including from one location to another within the same town or 

city, to a new jurisdiction, to across state lines or even further. This makes it difficult for 

law enforcement to identify victims and to investigate these crimes.

Finally, it is important for law enforcement to be aware that victims, witnesses, and perpetrators may need appropriate language assistance. Law enforcement will need to work 

with a translator or a translating service to ensure there are open lines of communication.

Partners in Addressing Child Sex Trafficking

Forming partnerships in the community enables law enforcement to be more effective 

in combating child sex trafficking. These partnerships can include a variety of people 

and organizations:

 Others in law enforcement such as local police, sheriff agencies, tribal police, state 

investigative bureaus, regional task forces, school-based law enforcement, and 

federal agencies

 Criminal justice partners, such as prosecutors, juvenile justice agencies, parole and 

probation, and court systems

 Governmental agencies such as child protective services, social services, public 

housing, school districts, public safety departments, public transportation, code 

enforcement, and county medical and mental health agencies

 Nonprofit organizations such as victim service providers, crisis intervention, 

advocacy agencies, community action groups, legal assistance, shelters, youth-serving 

organizations, drug treatment providers, hospitals, and faith-based communities

 Businesses such as hotels and motels, taxi companies, local stores and restaurants, 

and online service providers 

 Trucking agencies

Law enforcement can effectively work with partners in a variety of ways to enhance and 

strengthen identification and response to child sex trafficking:

 Co-training that enables law enforcement and its partners to learn from one another 

 Joint-training that enables partner staff and law enforcement personnel to train 

others together
6 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

 Referrals for victim support and services such as housing, security, food, clothing, 

job training, and education

 Referrals from partners to law enforcement of possible child sex trafficking 

 Joint operations or deployment that enable law enforcement and victim specialists 

to respond to incidents together

 Assessment for and access to services such as translation, trial preparation, legal 

assistance, and victim advocacy

 Referrals to victims for medical or mental health assessment and treatment

Law Enforcement Leader Tips

Tip 1. Train Your Officers 

Awareness and training are key to enabling law enforcement to identify and respond to 

child victims of sex trafficking. Law enforcement agencies can increase awareness and 

training by doing the following:

 Ensure frontline officers know the physical and behavioral indicators needed to ask 

the relevant questions. Even if the victim does not disclose his or her exploitation, 

there are often other indicators to trigger a referral to an investigator with specialized 

knowledge of child sex trafficking. 

 Update agency policies and protocols. Create an identification and response protocol 

that dictates what officers should do if they come in contact with possible child sex 

trafficking victims or a possible trafficker.

 Consider dedicating an investigator or unit to child sex trafficking investigations. 

Reach out to the local FBI Child Exploitation Task Force for joint operations, training, 

and case collaboration.

To help facilitate such awareness and training, the International Association of Chiefs 

of Police (IACP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in partnership with the 

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), created the Child Sex 

Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers toolkit11 for law enforcement, specifically for frontline officers,

11. International Association of Chiefs of Police, Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline 

Officers (Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015), http://www.theiacp.

org/childtrafficking. 

 which includes a series of short training videos depicting officers responding to different types of situations where child sex trafficking is 
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 7

present. The toolkit is available for departments to conduct their own training by using 

the videos and accompanying tools such as the fact sheet, discussion guide, tip 

card, indicators sheet, glossary, and poster. A version of this training is also available 

via the IACP’s online training portal.12 (See the free training resources listed at the end 

of this guide.)

Tip 2. Know Your Resources 

Not all law enforcement agencies are equipped to pursue child sex trafficking investigations. Knowing the resources available in the local community is vital. All states have 

multi-agency task forces or state investigating agencies that focus on child sex trafficking 

or all forms of human trafficking:

 71 FBI multidisciplinary Child Exploitation Task Forces comprising federal, state, 

and local officers13

 17 U.S. Department of Justice Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces14

 78 intelligence and fusion centers that cover the United States15

Reach out and identify the best local resource to contact when an officer comes across 

a child sex trafficking victim, trafficker, or trafficking situation.

12. International Association of Chiefs of Police, “Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Online Training 

Portal,” accessed November 18, 2015, http://elearning-courses.net/iacp/.

13. “Local FBI Offices,” Federal Bureau of Investigation, accessed September 1, 2015, https://www.fbi.gov/

contact-us/field.

14. “Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Initiative,” Bureau of Justice Assistance, accessed September 1, 

2015, https://www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=51.

15. “Fusion Center Locations and Contact Information,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security, accessed 

September 1, 2015, http://www.dhs.gov/fusion-center-locations-and-contact-information.

Tip 3. Partner for Success 

Partnerships are a vital component in effectively addressing child sex trafficking in communities. Collaborating with outside organizations and individuals enables law enforcement to effectively identify and recover child victims, investigate sex trafficking, and 

support the prosecution of traffickers through co-training, joint responses, and coordinated services. Successful law enforcement collaborations addressing child sex trafficking 

include partners in victim services, prosecutions, schools, parole and probation, juvenile 

justice, child welfare, and other law enforcement including state and regional agencies, 

task forces, and federal agencies. 
8 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

Suggestions for developing and enhancing collaborations include the following:

 Contact the Child Exploitation Coordinator at the local FBI field office or resident 

agency. The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Forces comprise local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement as well as U.S. attorneys who can assist with identification and 

recovery of child victims, as well as investigation and conviction of traffickers. 

 Develop a method for sharing information with other local law enforcement agencies 

for reporting incidents of child sex trafficking. Creating a formal way for officers to 

communicate and share leads or tips with surrounding jurisdictions may provide the 

information needed to identify a case of child sex trafficking.16 

 Contact local social services and nonprofit victim service providers to determine how 

law enforcement can best connect victims to vital resources such as medical treatment, 

therapy or counseling, housing, and education or training to ensure victims have adequate aftercare.

 Work with the local prosecutor’s office and U.S. attorney’s office. Prosecutors are able 

to review and discuss what needs to be done to prosecute traffickers in child sex trafficking cases. Ask the local U.S. attorney about asset forfeiture laws and how they can 

be used in the community to combat sex trafficking of children.

16. Robert Moossy, “Sex Trafficking: Identifying Cases and Victims,” National Institute of Justice 

Journal 262 (2009): 4, http://www.nij.gov/journals/262/pages/sex-trafficking.aspx.

Tip 4. Engage Your Community

Collaborate with the local community to increase reports of possible child victims, suspected sex trafficking activities, and possible traffickers and exploiters (buyers). By working with community members, business owners, faith-based organizations, and others, 

law enforcement can create opportunities to educate community members about the 

crime, encourage community involvement, and demonstrate the protective role of police 

in the community. 

Suggestions for engaging the community include the following:

 Start a dialogue with the community. Conduct public awareness efforts to raise awareness of child sex trafficking. Inform the community; explain what trafficking is, what 

to look for, and where and how to report it. Provide educational materials, and hold 

events for the community with nonprofit service providers, schools, and youth-serving 

organizations on how youth can protect themselves from being targeted and exploited 

by traffickers. Because traffickers sometimes recruit victims using social media, educate children and families on how to stay safe online.
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 9

 Provide outreach and awareness training to “first reporters” within the community. By 

co-training with multidisciplinary partners, law enforcement can help educate individuals who come into contact with victims and traffickers daily. These individuals are 

more likely able to recognize and report an incident when they know the key indicators. First reporters include hotel staff, mall security officers, medical clinic and hospital professionals, school personnel, and youth-serving organization staff. 

Law Enforcement and Community Partnerships in Action

Law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have been working in collaboration with 

community members and organizations to address child sex trafficking successfully. The 

following programs have effectively implemented a multidisciplinary response to identify and respond to victims of child sex trafficking. These programs include collaborative 

methods to raise awareness of the issue in the community, to identify possible victims of 

child sex trafficking, and to work with local agencies to provide services to the victims.

Interdiction for the Protection of Children 

The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) 

program is a newly developed and implemented model to address child exploitation. The 

department coordinated, developed, and implemented the IPC through a partnership of 

multiple law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal levels; government agencies such as child protective services; and nongovernment organizations such as victim 

service providers. The program duplicates the successful criminal interdiction model to 

identify missing, exploited, and at-risk children as well as those who would exploit and 

offend against children. Through this program, patrol officers have initiated investigations against offenders and rescued child victims of abduction, child pornography, child 

sexual assault, and human trafficking. The program has repeatedly demonstrated a proactive ability to help officers intervene before an assault could occur. Through the training, 

officers gain knowledge of behavioral patterns of victims and suspects, the items to look 

for that might be present or absent, the type of questions that need to be asked, and what 

courses of action are immediately available.

The IPC program uses a multidisciplinary approach that includes patrol, investigation, 

victim services, intelligence analysts, fusion centers, and child protection services. This 

approach is incorporated into the design of the instruction teams, student attendance, and 

actual rescues. With the exception of the cost of training, this program has proven to have 

no fiscal impact while permitting an officer to implement the new training immediately. 

The IPC program does not require new personnel or equipment. Instead, it helps agencies 

of all sizes use their current resources.
10 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

Since 2009, the Texas Department of Public Safety has trained 5,119 law enforcement 

officers in Texas, 4,256 officers from other states, and 591 officers from foreign countries. 

Most important, the program is responsible for the rescue of more than 200 children.17 In 

2014 alone, the IPC program provided victim services to 128 recovered children and 

families.18 The first coordinated IPC-related enforcement operation, called the Crimes 

Against Children Patrol Operation, was implemented over three days in April 2015 across 

nine states.19 In 2015, the Texas Department of Public Safety, in partnership with the U.S. 

Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, began a national 

train-the-trainer program to help build capacity around the United States. This partnership allows agencies to receive training at no cost.

17. Derek Prestridge (lieutenant, Texas Crimes Against Children Center, Texas Department of 

Public Safety), e-mail to Kelly Burke (program manager, International Association of Chiefs of Police), 

September 24, 2015. 

18. Ibid., August 19, 2015.

19. Texas Department of Public Safety, “Multi-State Operation Rescues Endangered Children,” news 

release, April 29, 2015, https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/media_and_communications/

pr/2015/0429b.

Juvenile Human Trafficking Screening Checklist

The Denver (Colorado) Police Department—in collaboration with other local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, schools, victim advocates, child welfare agencies, and juvenile 

probation and diversion programs—formed the Juvenile Sex Trafficking Committee as part 

of the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA), which comprises more than 40 organizations dedicated to working collaboratively to create a victim-centered, multidisciplinary 

response to human trafficking in Denver. This is accomplished through trauma-informed 

victim services, joint investigation and prosecution, education and awareness, and public 

policy advocacy.20 The Juvenile Sex Trafficking Committee created the Juvenile Human Trafficking Screening Checklist to assist in identifying high-risk victims of juvenile sex or 

labor trafficking based on an extensive checklist of indicators. The checklist is used by 

juvenile intake officers, child welfare agencies, human services departments, and task force 

officers. The checklist is used when a victim requests assistance or when possible indicators 

are identified, and it is primarily used with runaways and those being brought into detention centers. Once the checklist is completed, the multidisciplinary team is notified regarding next steps for investigation of the crime and how best to provide services for the victim.

20. “Who We Are,” Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance, accessed August 6, 2015, http://denveralliance.org/

about/who-we-are.

The DATA screening checklist was derived from the Jefferson County, Colorado’s High 

Risk Victim Identification Tool, which is used to ensure prevention, recovery, and screening of youth that are at high risk of being commercially exploited or trafficked. Both the 
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 11

checklist and the identification tool bring awareness of the issue of child sex trafficking 

to the community and are used not only for trafficking victims but also as prevention and 

intervention before child victims can be exploited.

High Risk Victims Model

In 2005, the Dallas Police Department created the High Risk Victims Model, a multidisciplinary response to child sex trafficking in partnership with the FBI’s Innocence Lost 

Task Force, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Dallas County Juvenile Department.21 This victim-centered collaborative response is grounded in the belief 

that repeat runaways are a vulnerable population who are at high risk of being recruited 

into sex trafficking and exploitation.22 The police department recognized that traditional 

investigative practices were not effective in either helping the victim or the investigation.

The Dallas Police Department, targeting patrol, investigation, and command staff, 

designed and implemented a victim-centered investigative and intervention protocol for 

identifying, interacting with, and responding to victims.23 Dallas has a 24-hour-a-day 

investigative response for patrol officers who call in a possible child sex trafficking victim. 

A key factor in the success of the model is the training for all the department’s officers on 

high-risk victims and how officers can best intervene to disrupt the possibility of future 

victimization. This means training not only on how to recognize child victims of sex trafficking but also on how officers and investigators best engage with a child victim. Once a 

child has been identified as a high-risk victim, the police department works with its multidisciplinary partners to provide victim services including crisis intervention, emergency 

short-term shelter, tailored treatment plans, and counseling.24

21. Byron A. Fassett, “Dallas High Risk Victims Model” (Dallas, TX: Dallas Police Department, 2008), 

http://www.doj.state.wi.us/sites/default/files/ocvs/specialized/Fassett-%20National%20Research%20

Council%20Sex%20Trafficking.pdf.

22. Smith et al., National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, 34 (see note 5).

23. Fassett, “Dallas High Risk Victims Model” (see note 21).

24. “The Problem,” Letot Center, accessed August 3, 2015, http://www.letotgirlscenter.org/problem.htm.

Joint Police-Victim Specialist Response

The Michigan State Police work with a victim specialist, local advocacy groups, and Child 

Protective Services (CPS) as part of its response to victims of child sex trafficking. The 

state police, along with a victim specialist and a federal victim assistance professional, is 

embedded within the Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children Task Force, and all of 

these entities jointly respond to calls for child sex trafficking victims. 
12 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

If a victim of sex trafficking has been identified as a minor, the victim specialist notifies 

CPS to conduct a child welfare investigation and assessment. This can include searching 

for prior cases of sex trafficking in the CPS system, conducting home visits, and interviewing the parents or guardian. The victim specialist talks with the victim and conducts 

a needs assessment to determine what treatment, support, or services are needed. The 

victim specialist then reaches out to the nonprofit organizations best suited to fit the victim’s needs to provide counseling, treatment, and housing and to support the victim for 

the case court trial.

Neighborhood Block Watch

The Toledo Police Department has applied the traditional crime reduction strategy of 

neighborhood block watch to the crime of child sex trafficking. The City of Toledo established a neighborhood block watch to bring community members together to address 

community issues. The Toledo Police Department works closely with this community 

group to engage in community outreach, education, and enhanced neighborhood security. Toledo Neighborhood Block Watch participants are informed with up-to-date information regarding crime trends and patterns, and they learn how to report suspicious 

activity and persons to the police department. This creates an open form of communication between the community members and the police department.25

During regular meetings of the neighborhood block watch, the Toledo Police Department 

conducts 45-minute to one-hour long presentations on child sex trafficking with a questions and answers session at the end to 25 different block watch groups, each of which 

comprise approximately 20–25 community members. During the presentation, the police 

department reviews national and local statistics, recruitment techniques, those involved, 

ways in which victims are victimized, recruiting areas, the methods and means traffickers 

use to control their victims, and reasons why victims may not initially ask for help in 

leaving the trafficker. The presentation brings awareness and equips community members 

with information on what to look out for and where to call to report possible child sex 

trafficking situations. 

The Toledo Police Department is also a member of the Northwest Ohio Violent Crimes 

Against Children Task Force, which has recovered more than 125 victims of domestic 

child sex trafficking and prosecuted approximately 30 traffickers and their associates in 

both state and federal court.26

25.“Block Watch,” Toledo Police Department, accessed August 3, 2015, http://www.toledopolice.com/

block-watch-2.html.

26. James Hardie (supervisory special agent, Violent Crimes Against Children Section, Federal Bureau 

of Investigation), interviewed by Cari Jankowski (project coordinator, International Association of Chiefs 

of Police), August 11, 2015.
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 13

IACP Resources

The following resources are sorted by relevance. 

Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers (training course)

http://elearning-courses.net/iacp/

This online training course for law enforcement includes a series of training videos that 

depict sworn officers demonstrating responses to scenarios involving child sex trafficking. This training teaches officers how to recognize indicators of child sex trafficking, 

how to respond appropriately, and how to make referrals for investigation.

Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers (toolkit)

http://www.theiacp.org/childtrafficking

This toolkit includes a series of short training videos for training within law enforcement 

agencies. The videos depict officers responding to different scenarios involving child sex 

trafficking. The toolkit includes training instructions for supervisors, as well as a discussion guide, tip card, fact sheet, glossary, and poster. 

The Crime of Human Trafficking: A Law Enforcement Guide 

to Identification and Investigation

http://www.theiacp.org/portals/0/pdfs/CompleteHTGuide.pdf

This guide discusses the federal law; provides tools for identification, investigation, 

and response; and lists resources for victim assistance. 

Anti-Human Trafficking National Training and Technical Assistance Program

http://www.theiacp.org/humantrafficking

The IACP, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, has a three-year training and technical assistance project to provide assessment, 

training, and technical assistance to antihuman trafficking task forces and law enforcement agencies around the United States. 
14 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

Training and Investigative Assistance for Law Enforcement

 FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative

https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/vc_majorthefts/cac/innocencelost

 Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces

https://www.icactaskforce.org/Pages/Home.aspx

 Local FBI Offices

https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field

 National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Child Sex Trafficking Team

http://www.missingkids.com/CSTT

 Polaris: Sex Trafficking

https://polarisproject.org/sex-trafficking

 Shared Hope International

http://sharedhope.org/

 U.S. Department of Justice’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces

https://www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=51
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 15

Relevant Laws

Federal 

Human trafficking is a federal crime in the United States. The Trafficking Victims 

Protection Act (TVPA) addresses prevention through education, protection for 

victims, and prosecution of traffickers. The TVPA

 defines “severe forms of human trafficking” as the recruitment, harboring, 

transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for

– sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or 

coercion or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 

18 years of age;

– labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose 

or subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery;

 introduces new penalties for child sex traffickers including up to life in prison.*

State

Human trafficking is a state crime in every state in the United States. Thirtyseven states have recently passed new laws to fight human trafficking.†

 To find 

out more about a specific state’s human trafficking laws, visit Polaris’s web page, 

“Policy and Legislation.”‡

* 22 U.S.C. § 7102 (9-10).

† “2014 State Ratings on Human Trafficking Laws,” Polaris, accessed December 1, 2015, 

http://www.polarisproject.org/resources/2014-state-ratings-human-trafficking-laws.

‡ Ibid.
16 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

About the IACP

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is a nonprofit membership 

organization that supports law enforcement leaders around the world. With more than 

25,000 members in more than 121 countries, the IACP serves chief executives and law 

enforcement professionals of all ranks at the state, local, tribal, municipal, and federal 

level, as well as nonsworn leaders across the criminal justice system. As the largest and 

longest standing law enforcement leadership association, the IACP has launched historically acclaimed programs such as the Uniform Crime Reporting system and conducted 

groundbreaking research on all aspects of law enforcement operations, systemic justice 

issues, and community-wide problems. 

Today, the IACP continues to be recognized as a leader in law enforcement program 

development through the efforts of its divisions, sections, committees, and professional 

staff. The IACP supports law enforcement through advocacy, training, research, and professional services and enhances communication and collaboration through various specialized forums including the IACP Annual Conference and Expo. By engaging in strategic partnerships across the public safety spectrum, the IACP provides members with the 

tools and resources they need to educate the public on the role of law enforcement and 

help build sustainable community relationships.

Learn more at www.theiacp.org.
Combating Child Sex Trafficking 17

About the COPS Office

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies 

through information and grant resources.

Community policing begins with a commitment to building trust and mutual respect 

between police and communities. It supports public safety by encouraging all stakeholders to work together to address our nation’s crime challenges. When police and communities collaborate, they more effectively address underlying issues, change negative behavioral patterns, and allocate resources. 

Rather than simply responding to crime, community policing focuses on preventing it 

through strategic problem solving approaches based on collaboration. The COPS Office 

awards grants to hire community police and support the development and testing of 

innovative policing strategies. COPS Office funding also provides training and technical 

assistance to community members and local government leaders, as well as all levels of 

law enforcement. 

Another source of COPS Office assistance is the Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA). Developed to advance community policing and ensure constitutional practices, CRI-TA is an independent, objective process for organizational transformation. It provides recommendations based on expert analysis of policies, practices, 

training, tactics, and accountability methods related to issues of concern.

Since 1994, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to add community policing officers to the nation’s streets, enhance crime fighting technology, support crime prevention initiatives, and provide training and technical assistance to help advance community policing.

 To date, the COPS Office has funded the hiring of approximately 125,000 additional 

officers by more than 13,000 of the nation’s 18,000 law enforcement agencies in both 

small and large jurisdictions.

 Nearly 700,000 law enforcement personnel, community members, and government 

leaders have been trained through COPS Office-funded training organizations.
18 Combating Child Sex Trafficking

 To date, the COPS Office has distributed more than eight million topic-specific publications, training curricula, white papers, and resource CDs.

 The COPS Office also sponsors conferences, roundtables, and other forums focused 

on issues critical to law enforcement.

The COPS Office information resources, covering a wide range of community policing topics—from school and campus safety to gang violence—can be downloaded at 

www.cops.usdoj.gov. This website is also the grant application portal, providing access to 

online application forms.

Child sex trafficking involves a number of crimes requiring law enforcement to collaborate with multiple partners to identify and respond to the 

child victims while holding accountable those who are responsible for their 

exploitation. Combating this crime requires working with prosecutors, 

schools, victim service providers, parole officers, child welfare agencies, 

community members, and others. This guide aims to help law enforcement 

leaders adopt effective multidisciplinary approaches to address this crime 

and provides tips on training, identifying resources, and engaging communities. This guide also includes descriptions of effective programs in five law 

enforcement jurisdictions. 

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

145 N Street NE

Washington, DC 20530

To obtain details about COPS Office programs, call 

the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770.

Visit the COPS Office online at www.cops.usdoj.gov.

International Association of Chiefs of Police

44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 200

Alexandria, VA 22314

Visit the IACP online at www.theiacp.org.

ISBN: 978-1-935676-88-1

e021519686

Published 2016