CLEVELAND — More than 180 police officers came to Cleveland State’s Student Center on Wednesday as part of a two-day training to educate them on human trafficking.
“Her death propelled me wanting to raise awareness for law enforcement officers throughout northeast Ohio because there were several missed opportunities in which she was victimized and wasn’t able to get the help she needed because people did not recognize what they saw before them,” she said.
Kinkoph did not do this alone. She had assistance from law enforcement veteran Jack Hall, who helped her set up the training session. Hall knows that human trafficking is an important issue.
“We want to make sure there’s trained, competent investigators on the other end that can take that information and fully investigate that, save a victim from human trafficking and prosecute the offenders,” he said.
Hall’s friend, Albie Stasick, who wanted to invest in this issue and into the community, hosted the training.
“It’s an ugly, ugly criminal enterprise that’s going on there, and if there’s something that I can make a small impact, I decided that it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
Kinkoph said the training teaches officers how to recognize human trafficking victims, interview victims and obtain evidence.
“If they build trust and make a connection, they can do that, they can make a difference and perhaps save a life,” she said.
The community can also be on the lookout for human trafficking victims by educating themselves on the issues and noticing any mental changes or physical injuries in people. Kinkoph wants justice for her daughter, but also does not want this to happen to other families.
“We can perhaps prevent this victimization from happening to other children and adults and their families,” she said.
