Traffickers inflict trauma on their victims through various forms of force, fraud, and coercion. Often, traffickers identify and exploit individuals who have previously suffered trauma in their lives. Offender tactics and methods of coercive control can exacerbate victims' responses to trauma and foster distrust between victims and criminal justice system professionals. However, police, prosecutors, and allied partners have a unique opportunity to disrupt the cycle of victimization, trauma, and distrust. 

What is Beyond the Basics? This is a free, in-person, 2.5-day advanced human trafficking training taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio. This event is for law enforcement and prosecutors to provide innovative, practical, and trauma-informed strategies to enhance victim-centered responses, and offender-focused investigations and prosecutions. This course is highly interactive and scenario-based.

This training will provide information on:  

• How traffickers recruit victims from within the criminal justice system; 
• Methods to investigate sex trafficking in a post-Backpage world; 
• Investigative strategies that do not rely on victim testimony to identify evidence of labor and sex trafficking;  
• Trauma-informed interview techniques;  
• Countering witness intimidation and evidence tampering; 
• Assessing culpability of victims who may also appear to be potential suspects; 
• Alternative charges to consider to increase the likelihood of successful prosecution of co-occurring crimes; 
• Confronting common defenses; and 
• The value of expert testimony. 

Who is this training for? Law enforcement, prosecutors, and analysts who have experience investigating and prosecuting human trafficking (IACP membership is not required). OVC-funded Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Task Force members are encouraged to attend.  

What will you learn? At the end of this training, participants will be better able to:

• Leverage partnerships, public data, and technology to better identify and investigate human trafficking; 
• Meaningfully integrate trauma-informed practices; and 
• Implement strategies to hold offenders accountable when victims are unable to participate. 

Register Here!

If you have questions, please email us at: humantrafficking@theIACP.org

This event is produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police under Cooperative Agreement No. 2020-VT-BX-K002, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

This event is part of IACP/OVC’s Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Task Force training catalog.