Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Trafficking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Thurston County proclaims January Human Trafficking Awareness Month, highlights local services
Summary
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners adopted a proclamation declaring January 2026 Human Trafficking Awareness Month and heard from prosecutors, victim advocates and local nonprofits about rising identifications and services for survivors.
Thurston County commissioners on Tuesday adopted a proclamation recognizing January 2026 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and heard presentations from county prosecutors, victim advocates and local nonprofits about services and trends.
Christy Peters, chief of staff for the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office, introduced Sheila King, a victim advocate, who told the board the county’s crime victim advocacy service helps survivors access housing, legal advocacy and limited financial assistance. "In 2015, we had 193 identified victims, and in 2024, we have 441," King said, noting that official counts understate the true scope because many incidents go unreported.
Samantha Gilbertson, executive director of Innovations HTC, described local nonprofit services and said Innovations served 142 clients in 2025, about 80% from Thurston County, with 75% reporting overlap with domestic violence. Gilbertson outlined rapid rehousing, a safe house and new weekly support groups intended to help survivors rebuild stability.
Detective Nathan Anderson, speaking for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, said the office will coordinate special victims and narcotics task force work and direct people to resources: "We’ll be working together moving forward to try and proactively prevent cases like that and make sure everybody’s directed to the resources they need," he said.
The proclamation text read by the board cites the use of force, fraud or coercion as defining elements of trafficking and emphasizes coordination among local government, tribal authorities, law enforcement, educators and service providers. The board encouraged residents, businesses and community organizations to increase awareness and support survivor services.
The presentations noted that the county convenes a Human Trafficking Task Force and partners with state and federal programs. Commissioners and staff said the county will continue countywide staff training and collaborative prevention efforts.
Commissioners recessed briefly after the proclamation for a group photo; no formal votes beyond adopting the proclamation were required.
