THE DALLES — When it comes to interviewing victims of sex trafficking, the best role for police, and one they’re unaccustomed to as take-charge types, is to let a victim advocate lead the way instead.
That was the message a Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) detective had last week in The Dalles for a group of law enforcement officers and others who attended a seminar on trauma-informed approaches to serving survivors of sex and labor trafficking.
Mark Povolny, WCSO detective
WCSO Det. Mark Povolny acknowledges that police are normally not ones to stand aside, but ultimately, he said, it makes for a more thorough interview and a stronger case.
The police physically place themselves well back from the victim being interviewed. They provide fidget toys, and offer breaks when needed. Even so, it is ultimately about getting information, he said.
“This is not a therapy session,” he said “They are there to do a law enforcement interview.”
Victims who work closely with advocates not only provide detailed interviews, but are also more willing to eventually go to court and testify, he said. “It’s selfishly better for me.”
The whole process is not ultimately about building a case, he said, but helping the survivor. Providing access to a variety of needed resources is also key. Working with a multi-disciplinary team is vital for this, he said.
Victims are unlikely to trust police and have been told by their pimps that they broke the law and will go to jail if they cooperate with police, Povolny said. But a victim advocate can build rapport with them and gradually get them to open up and provide necessary information for arrests.
In bigger cities, pimps may hang out at bus stops to find new victims arriving in town. But in smaller communities, victims are more likely to be trafficked by their own family members, said Chaleen DeStephano, with the Mid-Columbia Human Trafficking Task Force.
The five-county task force hosted the seminar, which was paid for with grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, a part of the US. Department of Justice.
Povolny said his department never arrests victims; it only charges their pimps, the people who purchase sex acts, and the people — like landlords who knowingly allow it or people who give rides to girls — who facilitate prostitution.
Povolny gave an example of a juvenile who was arrested on a warrant, high on meth, who gave a chaotic interview in the jail with an advocate that ultimately led to multiple interviews over time. The case eventually involved multiple charges in multiple states.
Povolny said it is critical to act quickly when a victim is ready to talk. Research shows people reach a point of readiness, but then lose motivation. “When it’s time, it’s time,” he said. “The next day, that’s too late.”
One seminar attendee who works with youth described possible signs he’d seen of a youth being sex trafficked. They included having unexplained cash, nice gifts or expensive drugs; getting rides from older people in nice cars; saying they’re working late when they’re not.
Povolny said there are other signs to watch for, such as: “She’s getting her nails done and she’s got this weird new phone.”
Motels can also be good sources of information for police. Povolny described a tip from a motel connection who said, “There’s a young-looking girl in tears. She’s meeting an old white guy in a Corvette.”
Povolny said if a juvenile runs away from home multiple times, the likelihood of being trafficked increases exponentially. “The strangulation risk and homicide risk is through the roof,” he said.
Research has also shown that 95% of sex trafficked youth — who are mostly girls — were previously also victims of child sex abuse, he said.
He said that sex trafficking cases in the Columbia Gorge could draw federal charges if victims are taken across state lines. He said he’s worked cases with traffickers who “run their girls all up and down [Interstate] 84 to have dates with truckers.”
He said pimps order their victims to tell police they are working “independent” and don’t have a pimp, but 90% of them do.
Wendy Stiver, Retired police officer
Co-speaker Wendy Stiver, a retired police officer who worked 21 years in Dayton, Ohio, said labor trafficking is actually far more prevalent than sex trafficking. But it is a lot harder to find and prosecute.
It is also assumed that the majority of all human trafficking goes undetected, she said.
Stiver said most sex trafficking victims are women, although males can be victims of both sex and labor trafficking.
Labor trafficking can happen in numerous industries, including the hospitality industry, agriculture, assisted living facilities, fairs and carnivals. People trafficked for labor can be moved up to eight times, Stiver said.
Stiver said there’s concern that major labor trafficking is occurring as rebuilding begins after the Southern California fires.
Another group targeted for trafficking is people with disabilities, who can be exploited for labor, or have their benefits taken, she said.
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