Coalition to Deal With Human Trafficking Meets in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF-TV) Human trafficking, which generally means using young women for sex, is not just something that happens in Thailand or Mexico.
It’s a major problem in the south.
Members of the coalition to stop that abuse met in Chattanooga today.
And this city has one of the best programs in the nation to deal with that crime.

A couple of months ago the Chattanooga police department worked with agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on a sting operation.
They placed messages on-line offering sex with minors, and got 145 responses.
Most of those people were later arrested and charged–but number was a shock to the agents.

MARGIE QUIN, TBI, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE "We are investigating cases right here in Chattanooga ..some of which came out of the investigation operation that we conducted with the Chattanooga police department."

Margie Quin is the TBI special agent-in-charge for human trafficking. She was in Chattanooga for the 4th annual meeting of a coalition of government, private and police agencies who are set-up to deal with that heinous crime. She says most of the victims are run-away children.

MARGIE QUIN "These victims just require almost everything you can imagine in the way of treatment, housing, resources, education, job training…everything you can imagine is what they need."

TBI can’t provide all that, so it relies on local partners, like those she met with, including non-profit and non-government agencies.
One of the partners is Second Life of Chattanooga which coordinates those agencies.

JERRY REDMAN, CEO, SECOND LIFE OF CHATTANOOGA "We’ve been told by folks from outside this city that we really do have one of the best most highly functioning anti-trafficking coalitions in the greater south…we know that."

And the state legislature is also on board with stronger laws.

MARGIE QUIN "Every law enforcement agency in the state must receive two hours of training delivered by TBI starting this month and goes through July 2017."