Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Module #3270: Online Certificate Course

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Module #3270

• Must be purchased with Human Trafficking Essentials*.
• Exceeds requirements of Texas’ legislature mandate 81R-HB4009.
• Certificate upon completion.

Learning Objectives

Building a Knowledge Base 

• Describe the concept of human trafficking from a domestic and global perspective.
• Discuss definitions and key terminology associated with human trafficking.
• List the different forms of human trafficking both domestic and international including sex tourism, child pornography, CSEC, trafficking via internet, labor trafficking, and familial trafficking.
• Discuss modern trafficking patterns with a focus on domestic systems.
• Discuss the factors giving rise to human trafficking cases including public awareness and preventative programs.
• Explain the characteristics of human trafficking victims and offenders, the stages of recruitment and exploitation, and examples of vulnerable victim populations.
• Discuss the art of control over victims including document control, violence, psychological manipulation, isolation, and supervision.
• Explain the invisibility of victims and the difficulty identifying and interacting with the victim of human trafficking.
  

Investigative Considerations

• Explain the observational and investigative cues to help identify trafficked victims including behavioral cues from both adults and children.
• Discuss how to identify trafficking offenders based on specified indicators.
• Explain the different roles a trafficker may take in Texas trafficking cases or less organized trafficking situations.
• Explain terminology that may be encountered during an investigation or when engaging with a possible victim of sexual exploitation
• Discuss case management and interagency cooperation to aide with investigations.
• Describe the victim-centered approach in investigations involving community organizations.
• Discuss best practices during an investigation in youth cases through a coordinated, multi-disciplinary team response by engaging with children’s advocacy centers in Texas.

Legal Issues

• Discuss national and international perspectives concerning efforts to end human trafficking including the tiers involved in the Trafficking in Persons Report each year and the efforts to comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
• Explain threshold requirements for eligibility of victim benefits and services and how it affects what you do as an officer.
• Describe victim protection under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
  Identify recent changes in human trafficking laws including the most recent reauthorization of the TVPA.
• Discuss the Texas statute on human trafficking and other related statutes that could be relevant to a human trafficking case.
  

Victim Service Providers

• Discuss the importance of victim service providers and the need for cooperative relations between law enforcement and victim service providers.
• Summarize the types of victim service providers available including those specifically in Texas.
• List victim service requirements as defined by legal parameters including an interpreter, medical needs, housing, and access to legal information.
  

The Collaborative Approach

• Explain the importance of inter-agency collaboration with a focus on a multi-disciplinary team approach.
• Discuss the importance of seeking help from the community and communicating correct information to the public regarding trafficking.
• Explain the importance of a proactive response to human trafficking including the current coalitions in Texas.
• Discuss challenges and barriers to effective investigations of human trafficking.
• Discuss selected human trafficking case studies.