Government
BY ATIRIKTA KUMAR
Partnership targets human trafficking
The outlook
The DA’s office is now working to gather human trafficking data from Montgomery County for HTI as part of the agreement, officials said in October. The partnership began with a two-day training for regional law enforcement entities in September. “Our office has already engaged in training,” the DA’s office said in a statement. “Our office has also participated in operations directed at targeting human trafficking in our area.” Through this partnership, HTI and Montgomery County aim to continue holding informational and technical training sessions to increase awareness and assess key areas for enforcement, according to information from the partner agencies.
A new partnership underway in Montgomery County will bring additional training and resources to local law enforcement agencies to curb human trafficking, officials said. Montgomery County is one of five counties in Texas to form a multiyear partnership this fall with the international Human Trafficking Institute, which aims to increase prosecution of offenders, said Tyler Dunman, vice president of programs with HTI Texas. The HTI Texas program formed this year. The change in leadership in the Montgomery County DA’s office, which leads the partnership, will not affect these plans, according to a statement from the DA’s office. Brett Ligon resigned from the position to run for state Senate District 4 in 2026, he announced Oct. 2. While the program will target both human and adult trafficking, the Texas Department
Human trafficking cases in Texas Cases identified
900
2023
1,360
+51.1%
2024
Victims involved
1,751
2023
2,439
+39.3%
2024
SOURCE: THE NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
of Family and Protective Services reported in 2024 the Houston region, including Montgomery and Harris counties, had 26 incidents of suspected or confirmed trafficking of children as of 2024, the most of any region it tracked that year.
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