Law Enforcement's Response to Child Sex Trafficking: Fostering Collaborative Response and Implications for North Texas

Human trafficking is a multifaceted, dynamic issue requiring an inter-disciplinary approach to addressing this egregious crime. This presentation highlights a recent NIJ- funded study examining law enforcement’s response to child sex trafficking. The study included a large quantitative survey of 3,500 law enforcement agencies, over 100 structured investigator interviews, and 80 in-depth interviews exploring forms of law enforcement and community collaboration in 11 purposefully chosen communities. Results of this national study will be shared along with its implications for Texas broadly, and North Texas in particular. Opportunities for ongoing research and evaluation of anti- trafficking responses, including prevention, will be offered. Holistically, this presentation will outline ways communities and researchers can collaboratively engage in the overarching quest to enhance our understanding of human trafficking, improve anti- trafficking responses, and facilitate evidenced-based polices.