Montana U.S. Attorney's Office and Missoula Police Department Host Regional Law Enforcement Training on Sex Trafficking

MISSOULA – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana and the Missoula Police Department will host a two-day training titled “Sex Trafficking: Investigation and Prosecution.”  The Mansfield Center at the University of Montana, the Montana DOJ Children’s Justice Center, FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and the Montana Human Trafficking Task Force have also collaborated on the event.  The training will take place at the University of Montana March 23-24, 2016, and is open to registered law enforcement personnel.  Attendees come from Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Washington.

The training is designed to help law enforcement personnel gain a comprehensive understanding of the crime of sex trafficking, recognize common indicators to identify victims, and learn effective techniques for victim interviews and investigative strategies.  A primary goal of the training is to promote law enforcement awareness and provide tools and techniques for the successful prosecution of sex trafficking that law enforcement personnel can take back to their communities.

This training is one of several held this year in Montana that reflect the Office’s focus on the issue of sex trafficking.  Similar trainings hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI were held earlier this year on three Montana Indian Reservations  for the benefit of law enforcement officers working in Indian Country.  Following this training, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will have collaborated in the training of more than 300 law enforcement personnel from multiple jurisdictions.

“This training reflects our shared commitment to eradicating the scourge of sex-trafficking that plagues communities regionally, nationally, and internationally,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Mike Cotter.  “Human trafficking is a crime that occurs in the shadows, in the margins of our country and around the world.  It is not just a federal matter; it is a matter that needs to be tackled with all available resources:  by federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement along with our community and faith based organizations.”

“This training is a product of the long-standing collaborative relationship between the Missoula Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the FBI,” said Missoula Police Chief Mike Brady.  “Our Department has been working with the Federal Government on this issue for some time.  This training gives us the opportunity to share the results of that collaboration with the regional law enforcement community.”

The training is closed the public and the press.