The Public Safety Committee was briefed on the human trafficking initiatives the Dallas Police Department (DPD) has undertaken to address the issue during a City Hall meeting Monday.
Representatives from the DPD suggested that more instances of adult and juvenile trafficking have been identified, investigated, and addressed due to heightened communication and community education.
Several high-profile human trafficking rings have been busted recently, with a total of 69 people taken into custody by local and federal law enforcement agents, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The Public Safety Committee is chaired by Councilman Adam McGough (District 10), with Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) serving as vice chair. The rest of the committee is comprised of Council Members Tennell Atkins (District 8), Jesse Moreno (District 2), Jaime Resendez (District 5), Casey Thomas (District 3), and Gay Donnell Willis (District 13).
Lieutenant Cyrus Zafrani and Major Devon Palk also briefed the committee on the ongoing efforts against human trafficking.
“It is estimated that human trafficking costs the State of Texas $6.6 billion a year, and Texas ranks number two in reported cases in the United States,” Palk claimed.
“The majority of cases start out from tips,” he explained. “Victim outcry is essential to our investigations, including tips from the human trafficking hotlines.”
In 2021, 49 human trafficking cases were opened, leading to 5 arrests and 11 survivors recovered. However, in 2022, a total of 142 cases were pursued, which led to 28 arrests and 45 rescued survivors.
Prostitution followed a similar trend, with 170 cases in 2021 leading to 39 arrests and three recoveries. In 2022, 365 cases were pursued, 208 people were arrested, and five survivors were rescued.
“We’ve greatly increased our reach and ability to spin up cases on human trafficking,” Major Palk noted, explaining the increase in cases from 2021 to 2022.
In January of 2023 alone, some 46 prostitution cases were opened and 33 arrests were made.
Lieutenant Zafrani, the commander of DPD’s crimes against children task force, discussed the measures the police department has taken to stop such crimes.
He claimed that DPD’s High-Risk Victims Trafficking (HRVT) Squad is now considered the “nationally recognized standard” and the “gold standard” due to its “victim-centered approach.”
Zafrani noted that risk factors for children include those with a history of emotional or sexual abuse, homelessness, running away from home, and “involvement with child welfare system or foster care.”
When discussing the methodology traffickers use to target children, Zafrani explained, “Abusers and traffickers use child pornographic images to introduce sexual topics, normalize the act for their victims, and portray a sense of normalcy and social acceptance.”
In 2021, a total of 290 juvenile trafficking cases were investigated, leading to 82 arrests and 81 survivors rescued. The next year, 2022, there were 247 cases, 64 arrests, and 101 children recovered.
Major Palk ended the presentation by announcing a new squad dedicated specifically to combatting adult human trafficking to augment the already current resources allocated to juvenile trafficking.
“Thank you for that presentation. There was a lot of heartbreaking data. … I am extremely thankful for the work that you do,” Chairman McGough said.
“This is very sobering information,” Councilman Thomas said.
Mendelsohn also expressed gratitude for the DPD and community partners’ efforts to combat the issues and directed the public’s attention to the national hotline for human trafficking victims, which is 1-888-373-7888 or 233733 via text.
