Attorney General Cameron Partners with Law Enforcement to Launch Human Trafficking Awareness, Training Video

Video will assist law enforcement agencies with identifying, investigating suspected human trafficking

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 10, 2022) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today joined representatives from law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth to launch a new human trafficking awareness and training video.  The video provides law enforcement with additional tools and resources as they identify and investigate suspected incidences of human trafficking in the Commonwealth.

The video includes interviews with Kentucky law enforcement representatives who have successfully investigated and worked with prosecutors to secure convictions in cases involving labor and sex trafficking.  It also provides information about current Kentucky human trafficking laws and available resources from local, state, and federal law enforcement partner agencies.

“Our law enforcement community serves in the trenches in the fight against human trafficking, and it is always our goal to support them and their efforts in any way possible,” said Attorney General Cameron.  “This new training video will do just that by providing police departments, sheriff’s offices, and other law enforcement agencies with an on-demand resource that connects them with partner agencies and provides current information on Kentucky’s human trafficking laws. This training is one part of our efforts to end human trafficking in the Commonwealth, and we urge every Kentuckian to get involved in the fight by visiting YourEyesSaveLives.ky.gov.”

The need for a law enforcement awareness and training video resulted from a meeting between Attorney General Cameron and representatives from the Lancaster Police Department.  Chief Rodney Kidd attended the meeting and shared that local law enforcement agencies often do not have access to the resources necessary for human trafficking investigations.  Following the meeting, Attorney General Cameron’s Office of Trafficking and Abuse Prevention and Prosecution (TAPP) worked with law enforcement agencies to develop the video.

“We appreciate Attorney General Cameron for talking with us about the need for a training video like this and then working to create it,” said Chief Kidd.  “Human trafficking can take many forms and having access to resources like this one is essential for law enforcement agencies.”

The video is part of the Attorney General’s Your Eyes Save Lives human trafficking awareness campaign.  Launched in early 2021, with support from the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the campaign aims to mobilize citizens, law enforcement, and community leaders to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking. 

The Your Eyes Save Lives initiative launched on the heels of the passage of House Bill 2, in 2020, which aligned Kentucky’s human trafficking laws with existing federal laws.  Since the passage of House Bill 2, the Attorney General’s Office has trained more than 4,000 Kentuckians on the Commonwealth’s human trafficking laws, including various law enforcement agencies.

The nearly 20-minute training video will be available on the Attorney General’s official YouTube page and provides law enforcement with easy access to view the training at their convenience.  TAPP also provides in-person training to any interested law enforcement agency.

Today’s launch followed a roundtable discussion with law enforcement agencies about challenges to conducting human trafficking investigations.  Roundtable participants included representatives from the Kentucky State Police; Ashland, Bardstown, Campbell County, Covington, Elizabethtown, Lancaster, Lexington, Morganfield, Somerset, and Taylorsville Police Departments; and Bullitt and Clark County Sheriff’s offices.  In addition to these law enforcement agencies, Attorney General Cameron was joined at today’s press conference by representatives from Refuge for Women and The Samaritan Women.

To learn more about Attorney General Cameron’s commitment to stopping human trafficking in the Commonwealth, visit YourEyesSaveLives.ky.gov.

View the training video here.