Texas is working with commercial truckers to help fight human trafficking across the state.
The Texas Attorney General’s office is supporting the nonprofit Truckers Against Trafficking, which trains truckers nationwide to identify and respond to incidents of human trafficking.
The AG's Office is boosting awareness and facilitating the group's training sessions across Texas. The nonprofit held one such training in San Antonio Thursday.
Attorney General Ken Paxton says he wants truckers to be like a neighborhood watch for Texas highways and rest stops.
“They’re out every day driving hundreds if not thousands of miles,” says Paxton. “They’ve got eyes and ears on the road and see what’s going on.”
Truckers Against Trafficking’s Kendis Paris says many truckers across the country have called suspicious behavior into the nonprofit’s hotline since it began.
“Truck drivers have now made close to 1,500 calls and that’s resulted in 450 potential cases involving close to 1,000 victims,” Paris says.
In Texas, there have been more than 300 cases of human trafficking reported to authorities so far this year.