Las Vegas, Henderson leaders team up to draw awareness to human trafficking crimes across valley
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Las Vegas is one of the leading cities for human trafficking and local city leaders want to make the warning signs known and bring awareness to the ever-growing crime.
It’s a sad reality, but oftentimes, victims are groomed and exploited by someone they know or love.
“I realized my daughter had been a victim of this process by her then-boyfriend,” a father told 8 News Now about his daughter Cassandra’s human trafficking struggles. “We talked for a long time and eventually I was able to get her out of there.”
Unfortunately, though, while he was able to save his daughter in that moment, Cassandra lost her life years later.
City of Las Vegas Councilwoman Victoria Seaman and Henderson City Councilwoman Carrie Cox hosted Monday’s awareness event as human trafficking continues to be an ongoing battle in the valley.
“We’re number two in the nation in cities of human trafficking and it’s unacceptable,” Seaman shared.
“We are going to make sure that we educate parents and grandparents and so on, that our children are not for sale,” she added.
Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit said its team receives 50 to 70 human trafficking-related cases every quarter which averages close to 250 cases in Clark County each year.
As for those who handle those types of calls, Tina Decola spent years on the other side and now teaches dispatchers what human trafficking signs to look out for.
“Sometimes they’ll say I just need an ambulance, but don’t call the police, so that is a big red flag for us,” Decola explained.
“Taking that call changed my life. It’s now my mission to make sure everyone gets trained because no human being should have to go through what these folks go through,” she added.
Metro rescued over 120 minors last year. This awareness event is just one of many being held across the valley this year.
If you see anything that looks suspicious or out of place, you are urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. You can also text the word INFO to 233-733.
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