The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority is urging its riders to download the emergency mobile app, VTAlerts, in an effort to rescue victims of human trafficking and punish its perpetrators.
VTA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Gonot said at a press conference Jan. 6 that VTA has served as a model for the 2018 California law, AB 2034, which requires transit agencies throughout the state to train frontline workers on the signs of human trafficking. VTA said it is now going a step further with public education.
The VTAlert app allows users to “discreetly report any crime, including—specifically—human trafficking on your mobile phone,” said Gonot. “The alert goes directly to county communications, which then dispatches law enforcement to the scene.”
The app allows users to report various kinds of incidents and identify its location, such as a specific bus route, light rail line, or VTA property. Users can also request to remain anonymous or choose to include their contact information with their report. Pictures of the incident or suspect can also be sent along with the report.
The app is “pretty simple—very discreet for those who want to try and help us with this awareness,” said VTA Public Information Officer Stacey Hendler Ross. “We urge everyone to download VTAlerts from wherever they get their apps. Keep it on your phone when you’re riding on transit.”
Gonot said messages about human trafficking will be appearing this month on VTA buses, light rail trains, at bus stops, light rail stations and on social media.
“The point is, if and when [riders] see something they suspect may be human trafficking, we urge them to report it so victims can get help and perpetrators can be punished,” she said.
San Benito County District Attorney Joel Buckingham told BenitoLink he suspects there is more human trafficking in San Benito County than is being detected, especially if those being trafficked do not feel safe coming to authorities due to “the nature of the crime.”
“We want them to know that if they are being trafficked and if they come forward, we do have resources to ensure they are not removed from the country,” he said. “They are protected through the process when they do come forward.”
He encourages the community to report anything that may seem suspicious and linked to human trafficking.
“One of the hardest things for people to do is to say ‘I’m seeing something uncomfortable,’” he said. “But it helps [law enforcement agencies] when people do report things. If no one speaks up, no one’s going to stop it.”
Ross said VTA does not have data of how many San Benito County residents use its services.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, some common indicators of human trafficking include:
- Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship?
- Has a child stopped attending school?
- Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?
- Is a juvenile engaged in commercial sex acts?
- Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?
- Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
- Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?
- Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep, or medical care?
- Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to be in control of the situation, e.g., where they go or who they talk to?
- Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
- Is the person living in unsuitable conditions?
- Does the person lack personal possessions and appear not to have a stable living situation?
- Does the person have freedom of movement? Can the person freely leave where they live? Are there unreasonable security measures?
Homeland Security adds that not all indicators listed above are present in every human trafficking situation, and the presence or absence of any of the indicators is not necessarily proof of human trafficking.
Also available for download or order is the Blue Campaign indicator card, which is a small plastic card that lists common signs of trafficking and how to report the crime.
To report suspected human trafficking to federal law enforcement call 1-866-347-2423. The national human trafficking hotline is 1-888-373-7888.
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