By Brenden Moore
Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill.
DECATUR, Ill. — A multiagency task force is being formed to combat human trafficking in Central Illinois and will base its operations in Decatur.
The task force, to be known as the Illinois Trafficking Enforcement Group, will be led by the Illinois State Police and include the Decatur Police Department and the McLean County Sheriff’s Office as partnering organizations.
The Decatur City Council on Monday unanimously approved the interagency agreement forming the group.
“I see it as a no-brainer,” said Decatur Police Chief Brad Allen. “Human trafficking is real. It’s all over rural and urban areas. Decatur’s not immune to it, Central Illinois’s not immune to it.”
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Human traffickers victimize millions around the world and operate in all 50 states.
According to the Human Trafficking Hotline, more than 3,000 cases of human trafficking have been identified in the state and more than 6,000 victims since the hotline’s inception in 2007.
ISP started its dedicated human trafficking bureau two years ago, according to Lt. Phil Trompeter, who oversees the unit. In that time, they have encountered 33 victims and arrested 70 people for trying to engage in sex acts with minors.
The unit is now looking to expand its reach to Central Illinois. The state police will provide the facilities and expenses to operate it, including evidence storage and training related to operations. The state will cover liability for activities underneath the task force’s umbrella.
Trompeter did not disclose how many state police officials would be assigned to the task force nor did Allen say how many Decatur police officers would be involved.
While trafficking has generally not been viewed as a large issue in Decatur, the true extent of it is hard to determine because the illicit activity mostly occurs in the shadows.
In March, the Decatur City Council voted unanimously to require massage parlors operating within city limits to obtain licenses, a move opening them up to inspections by the police and fire departments as well as city building inspectors.
The idea was to crack down on businesses advertising themselves as massage parlors but actually are houses of prostitution or offer other illicit sexual services. Such businesses operating in the shadows often employ victims of human trafficking and advertise their services on the dark web.
ISP has upped its human trafficking enforcement in recent years. Since 2020, every graduating police cadet has received human trafficking recognition training.
And, under legislation signed late last month by Gov. JB Pritzker, ISP will be able to use images from license-plate reader cameras on the state’s highways in investigations involving human trafficking.
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