Houston Police Department Vice Division - Human Trafficking Information Brief

HUMAN SMUGGLING • Crime against a person • Crime against a border • No international border crossing • Requires international border required crossing • Involuntary • Voluntary • Commodity = person • Commodity = transportation • Trafficking involves • Smuggling involves exploitation transportation While not the same, the two are sometimes very difficult to distinguish. [...] HTRA PARTNERS HPD VICTIMS SERVICES DIVISION • Work closely with VSD employees to identify and address needs, both immediate and long- term • VSD is embedded with HTU • HPD Victim Services can help with: • The Criminal Justice System • U Visa Law Enforcement Certification • Crime Victims’ Compensation • Property return • Protective Order Information • Referrals to Shelters, Social Services and Lega. [...] 125) • A nuisance abatement suit is a civil action filed against a property and/or person who maintains it, when the property serves as a safe haven for crime Types of Properties: Proper Defendants • SOBs • Property owners • Apartments • Business owners • Hotels • Managers • Motels • The property itself • Clubs (in rem) • Any property with high Ch. [...] • The ordinance requires all hotels in the city of Houston to: • Require sex and labor trafficking training to all employees • Certify that the training was indeed provided to the city’s ARA Department • ARA Inspectors will enforce and visit all hotels annually • Post a mandated 11×17 city-developed sign in employee areas • Empowers the employee to report tips to the National Hotline and Houston P. [...] - Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 56B.003(13) • Trafficking in Persons • Compelling Prostitution • Continuous Trafficking in • Sexual Performance of a Persons Child • Promotion of • Employment Harmful to Prostitution Children • Aggravated Promotion of • Possession of Child Prostitution Pornography h.