On the Job 

Through a new service at the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), local law enforcement agencies will be receiving tips about children who are at risk of falling victim to human trafficking.
 
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the service at the Jan. 23 meeting of the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission.
 
“I’ve asked our BCI Missing Persons Unit to begin regularly analyzing records that are part of the Ohio Missing Children Clearinghouse,” he said. The clearinghouse serves as a central repository of information about the state’s missing children.
 
The analysts will be looking for children who have run away multiple times in a short period of time or those who have been reported missing from several communities. BCI will regularly search other law enforcement databases and public sources, such as social media, as well to find out whether there are other indicators that the children could be vulnerable to traffickers.
 
“Once this intelligence is gathered, our analysts will contact local law enforcement in the communities where these kids live and give them the information,” DeWine said. “It is my hope that local law enforcement will then reach out to these children and intervene in their lives before a trafficker can.
 
“Sometimes, that’s all that these kids really need: Someone to take the time to listen, to care, and to protect them,” he said. “Once law enforcement finds out why the child keeps running away, they can then develop a plan to help in collaboration with local coalitions and social service agencies and hopefully stop that child from running away again.”

The Attorney General is making special agents from BCI’s Crimes Against Children Unit available to assist local law enforcement, human trafficking coalitions, and service agencies in developing plans to help at-risk children. Agents can also be called upon to assist in human trafficking investigations.

In addition, four free, regional training courses for law enforcement will be offered by BCI to help officers identify and assist at-risk youth, teach them how to analyze clearinghouse reports on their own, and offer strategies for investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases.

BCI provides free, expert criminal investigative services to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies upon request. For information or assistance, call 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446).