Lieutenant Mike Student of the Vermont State Police told a joint meeting of the House Corrections & Institutions Committee and the House Judiciary Committee that human trafficking in Vermont takes both commercial-sex and labor forms, often exploits victims’ vulnerabilities and is difficult to detect and prove.

"Back in 2007, nobody really knew what human trafficking was," Student said, recounting a case in which a woman arrested for drugs later disclosed she had been chained and trafficked for weeks. He summarized the legal framework used in investigations, citing the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act and Vermont statutes that mirror the federal law, and explained that for adults investigators usually must show force, fraud or coercion while for minors the commercial sex element alone is sufficient.

Student described common control tactics — violence and intimidation, isolation, confiscation of identity documents, financial control, threats to family or pets and facilitated drug use — and said traffickers groom victims through recruitment, a period of affection or promises, then coercion or exploitation. He said the traffickers range from organized operations such as illicit massage businesses to family members and intimate partners.

Student said investigations are victim-centered and often require building trust over time with case managers and service providers. "We try to build a pretty 360-degree picture," he said, noting that victims’ fear, trauma bonding and addiction can make them unreliable witnesses and complicate prosecutions.

The lieutenant said most human-trafficking prosecutions in Vermont are handled with federal partners because of the multistate element and the resources the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office provides. He added that state law contains substantial penalties but that the primary challenge is obtaining evidence and victim cooperation needed to secure convictions.

The committee heard that identified victims in Vermont skew female and that juvenile victims are frequently recruited online; Student said the state sees victims across counties, not just in urban centers. He urged stronger victim services, more case managers and MOUs with local transportation and lodging providers to reduce victim dependency on traffickers.

The lieutenant told lawmakers he is available for follow-up discussions as committees consider resource and reporting proposals.