Glynco, Ga. —A successful pilot for the new Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) program, Human Trafficking Awareness Training (HTAT), was hosted at the Charleston Training Delivery Point, May 21-22, 2019.
During the two-day, classroom-based training students were provided with an in-depth understanding of the definition of human trafficking, the current indicators that law enforcement and the private sector may see within specific industries, as well as some of the immigration relief options that are available to international victims. The program was attended by 26 representatives from a variety of agencies within the law enforcement community, to include Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and local law enforcement agencies.
The development of the HTAT came in response to Executive Order 13773 “Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to Transitional Criminal Organizations and Preventing International Trafficking,” signed by President Trump in February 2017, which directed the U.S. Government to identify, interdict, disrupt and dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that engage in human trafficking. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the need for a more robust and comprehensive training to build upon the Blue Campaign endeavor providing awareness and education campaigns nationwide since 2010. In response FLETC created a new, permanent training program to be included within its training catalog. Congruent to the White House and DHS efforts to increase awareness, the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, established in 2015, also continues to emphasize the priority to advance and increase the awareness and delivery of training across federal, state, local, and private sectors. A member of the Advisory Council addressed students at this week’s training pilot.
FLETC - Charleston lead instructor Brian Welsh states, “Human Trafficking is a true crime against humanity and requires the vigilance of all stakeholders (LEO’s and non-government) where this heinous crime is found to be aware of the signs and indicators in order to combat this crime at “root level”. The FLETC is committed, along with our LEO partners and industry stakeholders, to raise public awareness through training. Increased awareness is key to identifying victims and traffickers.”
To learn more about FLETC, please visit our website at www.fletc.gov.
FLETC trains the majority of federal law enforcement officers and agents in the United States. In addition to providing training for over 90 federal partner organizations, FLETC provides training to state, local, tribal, and international police in advanced programs. FLETC graduates approximately 70,000 students annually and is the largest law enforcement training organization in the country.
Headquartered on a 1600-acre campus at Glynco, near Brunswick, Georgia, FLETC also operates facilities in Artesia, New Mexico; Charleston, South Carolina; and Cheltenham, Maryland.
Pilot Human Trafficking Awareness Program at FLETC-Charleston (Courtesy Photo)
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