Ivey Supports Bondi’s Program to Combat Human Trafficking

By  //  June 6, 2013

TRAINING PROGRAM WILL BE TAUGHT ONLINE

ABOVE VIDEO: Attorney General Pam Bondi discusses statistics regarding human trafficking. This week, Bondi introduced an online program to combat human trafficking. The program will be used by law enforcement officers including Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — A new program to combat human trafficking was introduced this week by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey.  The two-hour online training, “Introduction to Human Trafficking,” includes an introduction from Attorney General Bondi and equips front-line officers with information to help them recognize and respond to human trafficking.

IVEY-180-2Brevard County Sheriff’s Office will utilize & apply the training with its officers.  Sheriff Wayne Ivey praised Bondi’s program and the benefits it will provide at a local level.

“I personally applaud Attorney General Bondi  and Commissioner Bailey for their efforts in bringing this type of criminal activity to the front lines of training for law enforcement,” Ivey said. “Human trafficking is a criminal trend that has the ability to impact each and everyone one of us and our community. This type of training gives us the ability to quickly educate our team members about the growing problem of Human Trafficking and methods to recognize potential victims.”

The complete FDLE “Introduction to Human Trafficking” training is available on FDLE’s website athttp://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/BPDtraining/HumanTrafficking/story.html

Pam Bondi
Pam Bondi

“Human trafficking is an unconscionable crime, and this online training course for law enforcement officers provides them with the information they need to arrest the perpetrators and protect the victims,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Florida’s climate and appeal help make it a hub for runaways and add to the likelihood of human trafficking in the state. Human smugglers are often attracted to the agriculture and tourism sectors in Florida. The U.S. Department of State estimates 27 million people are trafficked worldwide annually, and in 2011, Florida ranked third nationally in the number of calls the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s hotline received.

“Human trafficking is the 21st century slavery. It primarily involves people being trafficked for commercial sex or labor by force, fraud or coercion. With the support of Attorney General Bondi’s office, FDLE developed this additional training to further equip Florida law enforcement officers in their work to combat human trafficking,” said FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey.

The training provides information for law enforcement about the indicators of potential human trafficking along with related state and federal laws. It defines human trafficking, discusses different forms of trafficking and indicators to help identify potential trafficking victims.

“Florida’s Sheriffs applaud Attorney General Pam Bondi for her efforts to combat the issue of Human Trafficking in our state,” said Steve Casey, Executive Director of the Florida Sheriffs Association. “The online Human Trafficking Training from FDLE will give law enforcement the tools and knowledge to reduce the number of victims affected by this horrific crime.”

Chief Dennis Jones, Tallahassee Police Department and President of the Florida Police Chiefs Association stated, “The Florida Police Chiefs Association and its members commend Attorney General Bondi and FDLE Commissioner Bailey for their work on the development of this valuable online training program that will not only help our officers better identify criminals involved in human trafficking, but will also assist them in identifying the victims of this horrible crime. The Police Chiefs throughout Florida are committed to doing whatever ever it takes to eliminate human trafficking in our state.”

All interested law enforcement officers can complete the FDLE “Introduction to Human Trafficking” training online. For more information about completing this training, contact the FDLE Bureau of Professional Development at (850) 410-7373 or kaypafford@fdle.state.fl.us.