Part II: Human Trafficking
Interview with Chief Nicholas Sensley
Cold-hearted and money-driven human traffickers operate in the United States as well as abroad. Today, we’ll take a closer look at one case in California in which the victim was rescued and a trafficker arrested. This will conclude the second and last interview on this issue with our guest and expert, Chief Nicholas Sensley of the Truckee (Ca.) Police Department. Chief Sensley-who has worked in the area of human slavery issues for more than ten years-will share current trends in this crime and efforts to combat it here and abroad. (You can find out more about Nick's company, Cross Sector Solutions and his work in the area of human trafficking on his web site.)
Currently, Nick is preparing a guidebook at the request of the U.S. New York Texas Florida California Europe Paris , France
Q: Chief Sensley, can you give us examples of cases here in the United States
Sensley: Cases of human trafficking in the U.S. present a diverse picture of the problem. One particular area of concern is related to U.S. citizens who are victims of the crime. Yes, U.S. citizens are victimized in this crime! Most Americans tend to associate this crime narrowly to foreign national victims. That is certainly a vulnerable population, but the key is to remember that anyone can be a victim of this crime. Because I will use a sex case, let’s keep all the other forms of trafficking in mind as well.
So, let’s go back to our old stomping grounds in Santa Rosa
The victim was so traumatized that she went into nervous convulsions when the suspect was in custody and she was asked if she would visually identify him under controlled circumstances wherein the suspect could not have known she was viewing him. The suspect in this case received a nineteen-year state prison sentence. In this line of work, we are always grateful to sharp frontline personnel like the nurse at Kaiser Hospital
Q: What are some of the challenges to investigating these cases? Can you give us some examples—either domestic or foreign—that might help us understand the hurdles these cases present?
Sensley: Unfortunately, some of the greatest challenges are systemic problems in the law and sometimes in the mind of the investigators. As you know, time is often a great handicap for an investigator. Limits on the time you can detain, the strength of evidence for an arrest, the capacities of clever lawyers, and the strength of psychological control of the trafficker over a victim can be of great disadvantage to protecting a person that is reasonably suspected to be a victim of trafficking. While I am not for measures that will further erode our civil liberties, I am just stating a fact. Many victims, especially foreign nationals, do not see themselves as victims because their perpetrators have convinced them that they are criminally liable for committing the “illegal” acts they were forced into. These victims become fearful of authority and are not the best witnesses to their own victimization. It is a terribly vicious circle.
In one case, an investigating agent lost patience with the circular story the victim was giving. A story she had been coached time and time again was the only way she could “survive” if she were taken into law enforcement custody. Eventually, she was deported and I believe a person was ultimately sent back into the world that victimized her and a good case was lost. These cases take time, patience, and a strategic multi-disciplinary victim-centered response.
Q: How does your company help combat contemporary slavery? Who do you work with in these investigative efforts and are these collaborative efforts successful?
Sensley: What we do is create the teams that are multi-disciplinary; that is, they are a diverse combination of law enforcement and governmental agencies and nongovernmental victim support organizations. We work to facilitate a relationship of confidence, trust, and interdependency with a victim-centered focus on the battle to combat human trafficking. In this team or task force collaborative, we work off of a model that focuses the different resources, skills, individual and organizational capacities, responsibilities, and even the different perspectives about the nature of the problem. The idea is to channel these service providers and problem solvers into a strategic and impactful response to human trafficking.
Q: Okay, given that one of your task forces gets information about a human trafficking case. How does the task force function in order that the case is investigated, the victims cared for, and the suspects prosecuted?
Sensley: Well, as a former task force operator yourself, you know that the key to a successful response is the execution of a solid plan. Sure, we know that the best laid plan is rarely textbook successful in response to the criminal world, but having one is like good training. You know how to give a good initial response and you adapt and overcome the obstacles when you’re in the fray.
Next, because the response is multi-disciplinary, you have to have a good protocol in place to ensure that everyone knows what they are expected to do and how to rely on the rest of the team. As in most aspects of police work, we are generally proactive or reactionary in our response to a crime. If the team is proactive and responding to a discovered case of trafficking, then time is generally on our side and we have a better chance of a successful operation.
If the situation is reactionary to something in progress that demands an immediate response, then the key is going to be in the strength of the operators as a team. In all cases, victim-centered means the well-being of the victims is paramount to the capture of the suspects. If the physical, psychological, safety and security needs of a victim are known to them to be important to the responders, that person will be your best witness in the successful identification, location and prosecution of the perpetrators.
