HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNIT

HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNIT

The Human Trafficking Unit (HTU) vigorously investigates and prosecutes those who, through such means as physical force, fraud, and/or psychological coercion, have forced individuals into sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, and labor trafficking. The HTU uses best practices to actively investigate all forms of human trafficking through data-informed, victim-centered, evidence based, and multi-disciplinary approaches.

Human Trafficking Unit Chief, David Weiss and Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez were honored at the 2023 Unitas Illuminate Gala for their work in expanding services for victims and bringing traffickers to justice.

The HTU provides Human Trafficking 101 training to community members on the signs of human trafficking and how to report the crime through the DA’s Human Trafficking Hotline. The training also includes how family members, concerned citizens, coworkers etc. can assist potential victims by accessing social services through the Human Trafficking Hotline.  The HTU also provides advanced training for law enforcement agencies, NGO’s, healthcare providers, financial industries, and government agencies to increase identification, to address barrios in policy and practice, and to increase collaboration across disciplines.

The HTU investigates and responds to all 440 Vacatur Motions brought by individuals who have convictions of crimes as a result of their trafficking.

The Brooklyn Human Trafficking Task Force

The Kings County District Attorney’s Office and Safe Horizon Co-Chair the federally funded Brooklyn Human Trafficking Task Force, a multi-disciplinary team focused on addressing human trafficking in NYC by bringing together law enforcement, service providers, research institutions, and civil society.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Brooklyn Human Trafficking Task Force is to combat all forms of human trafficking through a coordinated community response; use a victim-centered approach in proactively investigating and prosecuting human trafficking; provide comprehensive, trauma-informed services to victims of human trafficking; and enhance community capacity to identify and report human trafficking

Goals

The goals of the BKHTTF align with the mission and include:

1. Develop and implement standard protocol for serving victims of trafficking for law enforcement and service providers
2. Conduct coordinated training and outreach to community groups and professional groups in Brooklyn
3. Streamline referral processes to law enforcement and service providers
4. Provide comprehensive information regarding services to all victims served by the task force.

Collaborative Approach

The collaborative model allows for all victims served by the BKHTTF to be served by all available services and resources. The BKHTTF consists of law enforcement, non-governmental agencies, New York City agencies, hospitals, for-profit companies and advocates to address issues surrounding human trafficking