Summit looks to stop sex trafficking on I5
TALENT, Ore -- Mayors and Law Enforcement met in Portland on Tuesday for the I5 Summit.
The goal of the meeting was to help local police and leaders figure out way to stop trafficking along Interstate 5. The illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans is a lucrative business for criminals.
Portland Mayor Sam Adams hosted the summit and he focused the discussion on sex trafficking. Present at the meeting were police chiefs and mayors from Seattle and British Columbia. The only representative from southern Oregon was Police Chief Mike Moran.
Human trafficking along the I5 corridor is a huge problem that is hard to stop. Sgt. Mike Geiger is the head of Portland's Sexual Assault Detail and works to stop human trafficking across the pacific northwest.
He says the sex trade industry it is not only a problem, it's one that needs attention from law enforcement all around the country.
Geiger explained that what many might see as willful prostitution is really young females being forced into the sex trade. In 2008, the FBI found sex trafficking to be a $9.5 billion industry.
Moran said people can be sold over and over again for sex, where as objects like drugs and weapons can only be sold once. This makes human trafficking tempting to gangs and criminals.
Geiger says predators often prey on runaway youth. Criminals will hang out at bus stops and train depots waiting for children to arrive with what he described as a lost look. The predator than lures the runaway in with offers of food and shelter. Once the child is in their possession they can hold them captive and sell them for sex.
Victims of human trafficking are often advertised as escorts on websites like backpage.com. The postings claim the girls are 18 but that is not always the case. Medford and Klamath Falls both have adult escort pages on backpage.com.
Victims are often moved from urban center to urban center along the I5 corridor making it harder for police to track criminals, Geiger said.
Moran says participating in Summits like the one on Tuesday can help educate law enforcement officials about what to look for. He plans to take what he learned and share it with other local agencies in the Rogue Valley at an upcoming meeting this month.
http://www.ktvl.com/articles/trafficking-1202508-police-summit.html
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