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Michigan State Police urges truckers, communities to watch for signs of human trafficking
Summary
Michigan State Police investigators told a House Oversight subcommittee that truck drivers, bus drivers and service workers are well placed to spot human trafficking; they outlined outreach through Truckers Against Trafficking, called for victim‑centered laws and gave hotline and training resources.
LANSING — Michigan State Police investigators told the Michigan House Oversight Subcommittee on Homeland Security Foreign Influence on Oct. 26 that the trucking and service industries are uniquely positioned to spot and report human trafficking and described statewide outreach efforts to equip those workers to do so.
“Human trafficking is a lot like the elephant in the room,” Investigator Chad Schmidt of the Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division said, adding that the division has made anti‑trafficking outreach a priority through presentations, wallet cards and decals. “If you were able to answer yes to any of these items, statistical chances are human trafficking is in your area,” he said while showing an aerial photo of a neighborhood he said contained a known trafficking location.
The presentation emphasized a victim‑centered response. Sergeant Christina Droste, legislative liaison for the Michigan State Police, said the department partners with Truckers Against Trafficking, a national nonprofit, to raise awareness and to encourage reporting by commercial drivers and other frontline workers. “Our…
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