North Carolina Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Project

Pitt County will develop and operate a victim-centered human trafficking task force in conjunction with the U. S. Attorney's Office, federal law enforcement, and the Office for Victims of Crime Human Trafficking Services. The primary goal of this program is to identify and rescue victims of trafficking through a victim-centered, proactive investigation strategy. The secondary goal is the interdiction of trafficking and the successful prosecution of traffickers.

Pitt County, through the Pitt County Sheriff's Office, will use the grant funds to provide direct law enforcement services, create a multi-disciplinary training strategy, and develop a law enforcement training and response protocol in an effort to combat human trafficking. For the past three years, the Sheriff's Office has been part of a statewide task force to educate, raise awareness, and provide coordinated services to victims of trafficking. This volunteer group, comprised of representatives from government, non-profit, and legal agencies, will be used as the framework for the grant-funded project. The grant will be used to train key personnel on local and national models of victim identification, proper investigation techniques, and successful prosecution guidelines. To ensure all personnel receive the same level of instruction, training CDs and web-based training sessions will be created, in addition to a standard resource manual of service agencies and services available to victims.

CA/NCF