Researchers, advocates urge expanded anti‑trafficking training and services on Hawaii Island

A team from Arizona State University and Tucson Police Department told the Hawaii County Communications Reports and Council Oversight Committee on March 18 that sex trafficking and exploitation are occurring on Hawaii Island and across the state and called for expanded, culturally tailored training and victim services.

The presentation, delivered by Dr. Dominique Rosepowicz, a professor at Arizona State University who leads the Office of Trafficking Intervention Research, and Sergeant Lawrence Hove of the Tucson Police Department, summarized multi‑year research and outreach conducted on Hawaii Island and other islands. Dr. Rosepowicz said the research included placing online ads to identify buyers, interviews with survivors, and surveys of providers.

The presenters said their research found high levels of local demand and victimization. “In Phoenix when I placed an ad ... 45 people individuals will call me within 24 hours. The ad that I placed here in Hawaii Island in 2018, there were 279 individuals called me within 24 hours,” Rosepowicz said. She said researchers also interviewed 22 survivors and surveyed 363 people across five islands; in that sample 26.7% reported having been trafficked.

Why it matters: presenters argued that trafficking in Hawaii is not solely an outside or tourist problem but is often local, with buyers and some traffickers drawn from the community. Rosepowicz said roughly 17–20% of traffickers in her research were family members, and she warned that victims can be as young as 4 in the sample used by Child and Family Services and HOPE Services. She said the average age reported in some datasets was about 11, with a youngest age of 4 and an oldest of 17 in that combined sample.

Details and evidence: Rosepowicz described multiple local studies: placement of undercover ads on Oahu and Hawaii Island in 2018; interviews with 22 survivors (7 family members of children, 15 adults); a 363‑person survey across five islands (26.7% reported trafficking); and a Hawaii Island study of unsheltered people using HOPE Services outreach, which found about one‑third had been trafficked. She said similar prevalence figures (33–56%) appeared in some Maui studies. Rosepowicz also described a housing program used in Arizona, Phoenix Starfish Place, a 15‑apartment facility with clinical programming.

The presenters outlined three action priorities: prevention and community awareness, specialized training for police and service providers, and building a coordinated victim response. Sergeant Hove, who described standing up a trafficking unit in Tucson, said his unit divides work among investigation, community outreach and undercover operations and urged building specialized detectives in Hawaii County and Maui Police Departments. He described plans to train officers in Hawaii: “We were set to train over 30 HPD members yesterday … and on Maui later this week we have over 60 people that are going to be attending.”

Council response and next steps: council members pressed for operational details and partnerships. Councilmember Kaneo Lee Kleinfelder moved to close the committee file on Communication 165 after the presentation; Councilmember Onishi seconded the motion. The committee recorded a vote of 7 ayes with Councilmembers Michelle Galimba and Ashley Kurkowitz excused, closing the file.

Presenters and local partners asked county departments and community groups to integrate trafficking screening and training into existing programs that see vulnerable people, including homeless outreach, shelters, schools and foster‑care services. Rosepowicz said the research had helped secure more than $5,000,000 in resources for programs on other islands and that the next step is implementation support: writing grants, training prosecutors and building culturally appropriate services for victims in Hawaii County.

What the speakers said (selected quotes)

“My name is Dr. Dominique Rosepowicz. I’m a full professor at Arizona State University and I run the Office of *** Trafficking Intervention Research,” Rosepowicz said, introducing the work. “It’s a person, anytime a person is under the age of 18 and they exchange *** for something of value, that’s called *** trafficking by our laws.”

Sergeant Lawrence Hove said the unit he built in Tucson dedicates roughly a third of its work to investigations, a third to outreach and education, and a third to undercover operations: “I have detectives that work this problem, and 33% of their job is investigating cases. 33% is community outreach and education … and the other 33 is they’re constantly working undercover.”

Ending: Council members and presenters agreed on the need for continued training and interagency cooperation. The presenters offered follow‑up support for training local police, prosecutors and social‑service providers. The committee closed the file on the communication after the presentation; council members asked administration and county departments to coordinate with community groups to identify gaps in victim services and to explore grant opportunities for implementation.