ABSTRACT
Introduction Human trafficking is a crime that has gone largely unnoticed and unreported in the United States. Within the last 10 years, efforts to address this issue have increased among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Resources allocated to these agencies have been primarily dedicated to efforts in support of understanding the crime, identifying the perpetrators and victims and the development of significant intelligence bases and robust investigative programs about the problem. This chapter addresses law enforce ment considerations when investigating human trafficking organ iza tions or attempting to identify a victim. The emphasis is on the responsibility of law enforcement agencies to recognize indicators of human trafficking and to coordinate intelligence gathering efforts with local and national groups working on this issue.
