INDIANA CO., Pa. – The Indiana County Commissioners recognized January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month by way of a formal proclamation on Wednesday.
(Pictured above, from left: Sherene Hess, Robin Gorman, Bob Manzi, Mike Keith, Cliff Greenfield, Fina Spory, Frank Mulkearns, Ryan Wilson and Jeff Atherton. Submitted photo)
Human trafficking, crimes that involve the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor against their will, occur across the world and affect millions of people.
District Attorney Bob Manzi spoke about his local task force that comprises members of the Indiana Borough Police, represented by Sgt. Jeff Atherton and members of the Pennsylvania State Police, represented by Trooper Cliff Greenfield and Sgt. Ryan Wilson.
Along with the partner agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, represented by Special Agent Frank Mulkearns and Special Agent Fina Spory, local and state police work closing with their federal counterparts in a cooperative effort to share investigative intelligence, gathered evidence, and technology to stop, investigate and prosecute human trafficking crimes across the country.
“Human trafficking crimes, which are typically committed against more vulnerable populations, are horrific. Each and every day, members of our law enforcement community gather and share information about potential human trafficking crimes in hopes of bringing offenders to justice and stopping future offenses” said Manzi. “Due to the advanced use of technology, we have victims and perpetrators in different geographic locations. This relationship with our federal counterparts ensures these perpetrators are held accountable if they try to reach into our county and victimize one of our neighbors.”
District Attorney Manzi also spoke about the Indiana County Commissioners willingness to help support the efforts of this task force. “Last year, we asked the Commissioners to house computer servers in our county that were previously across the state. This allows quicker access for our law enforcement to prosecute these offenders. The Commissioners responded quickly and unanimously to help in those efforts. We appreciate the support we have from our county commissioners and we know this is an important issue for them.”
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