HSI, 30 law enforcement leaders announce new Maine Human Trafficking Task Force
AUGUSTA, Maine — During a ceremony Friday at Maine's state capitol, Gov. Paul R. LePage issued a proclamation recognizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) recently commissioned Human Trafficking Task Force. To commemorate the commissioning of the task force Gov. LePage declared Sept. 26, 2014, as Human Trafficking Task Force Recognition Day.
Nearly 80 law enforcement officers from 30 Maine and Canadian agencies partnered with the newly-commissioned HSI task force in order to combat this form of modern day slavery across the state. The task force is designed to bring together the expertise, training, experience and law enforcement authorities of the partnered agencies to help identify human traffickers, and prosecute them while also protecting and aiding victims.
John Morris, Maine commissioner of public safety, presented the proclamation to both HSI and the U.S. Attorney's Office on behalf of the governor. Bartholomew Cahill, assistant special agent in charge of Maine's three HSI offices and Col. Robert Williams of the Maine State Police also spoke to the group.
As part of the ceremony, the officers were inducted into the task force in a jacket and badging ceremony conducted by dignitary representatives of the five jurisdictional entities including federal, state, county, municipal and prosecutorial. Speakers included Williams, Acting Chief Patrol Agent Alfredo Casillas of the U.S. Border Patrol Houlton Sector, Maj. Ryan Reardon of the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office, Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant, Auburn Police Chief Phil Crowell, U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Chief Jon Chapman, and ICE Chief Counsel Jo Ellen Ardinger.
Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge of HSI New England, approved the formation of the task force June 19, 2014. It will be led by HSI in partnership with the U.S. Attorney's Office, and will be chaired by Jeffrey Stillings, resident agent in charge of HSI Houlton. Stillings will be supported by Michael Lana the resident agent in charge of HSI Bangor and Shawn Meehan, resident agent in charge of HSI Portland.
"The State of Maine is pleased to participate with HSI to combat forced labor and sex trafficking and my administration supports the work of the new task force," said Gov. LePage. "Human trafficking is a horrific crime driven by a massive underground trafficking industry, and we hope with increased awareness and enforcement, we will better protect victims and hold their abusers accountable. I wish Special Agent Stillings and his team success and look forward to hearing about the progress of the task force."
"Our new human trafficking task force allows our many members to collaborate more effectively to carry out our investigations," said Foucart, special agent in charge of HSI Boston. "There's no substitute for this face-to-face interaction while investigating secretive human traffickers, and aiding their traumatized victims. Collectively, we are laying down the foundation for a very powerful tool to combat this manipulative and destructive type of crime, while putting existing traffickers on notice."
U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced: "The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Maine is proud to partner with HSI to establish a Human Trafficking Task Force for the State of Maine. The U.S. Attorney's Office has worked consistently with its law enforcement partners at the federal, state and local levels, as well as with non-governmental organizations, to combat human trafficking in Maine. We place a high priority on prosecuting those individuals who engage in human trafficking, and it is for that reason that we are pleased to work with HSI to provide training and education to members of law enforcement on this important issue."
During the week of Sept. 23, the new task force members participated in the HSI Title 19 Task Force Officer training program, held at the Kaplan University campus in Augusta. Each class day began with welcoming remarks from prominent leaders in government and law enforcement, to include U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II, Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty, Augusta Police Deputy Chief Jared Mills, U.S. Senator Angus King, Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant, and Auburn Police Chief Phillip Crowell. The 28-hour program allows state and local law enforcement officers to be federally cross-designated with HSI's unique Title 19 federal authority, which will result in a unified effort to identify, respond to, investigate, and arrest human traffickers with the support of its prosecutorial partners.
Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world today and occurs when a person is recruited, harbored, obtained or exported through force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage and other methods of slavery.
The following agencies are partners in the HSI Human Trafficking Task Force:
- Aroostook County Sheriff's Office
- Auburn Police Department
- Augusta Police Department
- Bangor Police Department
- Bar Harbor Police Department
- Canada Border Services Agency (Intelligence Sharing Partner)
- Cumberland County Sheriff's Office
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations
- Cumberland County Sheriff's Office
- Cumberland Police Department
- U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Diplomatic Security
- Farmington Police Department
- Gorham Police Department
- Homeland Security Investigations
- Kennebec County Sheriff's Office
- Lewiston Police Department
- Maine Attorney General's Office
- Maine Computer Crimes Unit
- Maine State Police
- Old Town Police Department
- Oxford County Sheriff's Office
- Portland Police Department
- Presque Isle Police Department
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Intelligence Sharing Partner)
- Saco Police Department
- Sanford Police Department
- South Portland Police Department
- United States Border Patrol – Houlton Sector
- United States Attorney's Office
- Windham Police Department
- Yarmouth Police Department
The public is encouraged to report suspicious activity and suspected human trafficking to the HSI Human Trafficking Task Force through ICE's 24 hour tipline, by calling 1-866-DHS-2-ICE. For more information on this topic, please visit the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign website at www.dhs.gov/end-human-trafficking.
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