Putting It All Together for a Successful Case (2.0 Hours)

This essential course provides patrol officers with comprehensive training on assembling and presenting corroborative evidence to build strong sex trafficking cases. Participants will learn the crucial steps required to compile investigative findings, submit them effectively to prosecution, and prepare for trial. The course also includes a detailed discussion on testifying in court and the strategic use of expert witnesses to strengthen the case against sex trafficking suspects. Law Enforcement Only

Performance Objectives:

1. Evidence Compilation and Submission: Officers will learn how to systematically compile and organize corroborative evidence to create a compelling case for prosecution.
2. Effective Court Testimony: Officers will understand the techniques for delivering clear and convincing testimony in court, enhancing their credibility and the overall impact of their evidence.
3.  Expert Witness Testimony: Officers will gain insights into the strategic use of expert witnesses in sex trafficking trials to bolster the prosecution's case and address complex aspects of trafficking dynamics.

Money Laundering, Illegal Enterprise, and a Child Sex Trafficking Investigation (2.0 Hours)

This comprehensive course delves into the complex intersection of financial crime, illegal enterprises, and child sex trafficking investigations. Participants will explore the sophisticated methods used by traffickers to launder money and hide their illegal activities. Through the analysis of real-world case studies, the course highlights the critical role of financial investigations in uncovering and dismantling child sex trafficking networks. Attendees will learn how to identify and track illicit financial flows, thereby disrupting the financial networks that sustain these heinous crimes.

Performance Objectives:

1. Understanding Financial Mechanisms: Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the methods traffickers use to launder money and fund their illegal enterprises, enhancing their ability to identify and investigate these financial crimes.
2. Integrating Financial and Trafficking Investigations: Attendees will learn to combine financial investigation techniques with traditional child sex trafficking investigations to build stronger, more comprehensive cases.
3. Enhancing Victim Cooperation: Officers will explore strategies for maintaining victim cooperation and safety, including the use of victim advocates and support organizations, to ensure the successful prosecution of traffickers.
4. Participants will learn about the systems available to use for investigators to identify traffickers and victims through the TRAC (Transaction Record Analysis Center) system and how it relates to Spotlight and Traffick Jam to generate leads to target traffickers.

Participants will hear a case study presented that offers several familiar challenges these investigations have and how "going after the money" simultaneously with their sex trafficking investigations yields additional felony charges and stronger investigations.

Unmasking the Predators: Female Officer Undercover Training for Sex Trafficking Operations (3-4 Hours)

This comprehensive training course is designed for female officers and law enforcement professionals, focusing on the critical skills required for undercover operations targeting sex buyers, child predators, and traffickers. With an emphasis on proactive strategies, the course covers the full spectrum of undercover work, from operation development and legal coordination to the selection of decoy officers and the use of social media for investigative purposes. Participants will gain deep insights into the unique challenges and considerations faced by female undercover officers, including safety protocols, entrapment issues, and best practices for evidence gathering. Real-world scenarios and case studies will be employed to provide practical knowledge that can be directly applied in the field, ensuring successful investigations and prosecutions. Law Enforcement Only

Learning Objectives:

1. Developing Effective Undercover Operations: Understand the critical steps in planning and executing a successful undercover operation, including collaboration with prosecutors, identifying the elements of offenses, and ensuring deconfliction with other agencies.
2. Selecting and Training Female Decoy Officers: Learn how to choose the right female officers for undercover roles, focusing on the skills and characteristics needed for effective engagement with suspects in both online and offline settings.
3. Utilizing Social Media and Online Platforms: Gain expertise in setting up and managing undercover social media accounts, identifying and infiltrating prostitution websites, and engaging with traffickers and sex buyers to gather actionable intelligence.  Develop strategies to conduct conversations with these suspects accomplishing the elements of the crime without entrapment. 
4. Ensuring Officer Safety and Legal Compliance: Explore best practices for maintaining officer safety during undercover operations, avoiding entrapment, and compiling evidence that will lead to successful prosecutions, with an emphasis on thorough documentation and coordination with legal teams.
5. Live Chatting:  Experience chatting live with potential sex buyers or traffickers as prostitution advertisements will be posted during the course.

Catfishing Pimps (2.0 Hours)

This module explores the strategic use of undercover social media profiles to identify and prosecute traffickers engaged in online recruitment. Through real case studies, participants will examine the techniques used to establish pandering and sex trafficking charges, including interactions between undercover female detectives and traffickers. The course highlights the challenges of targeting local and out-of-state traffickers and navigating the extradition process. Designed for undercover investigators, this course provides proactive strategies to combat trafficking through digital undercover operations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how to use social media platforms to create effective undercover profiles for identifying traffickers.
2. Analyze real case studies to learn strategies for engaging traffickers and building prosecutable cases.
3. Explore the legal and logistical challenges of targeting and extraditing out-of-state traffickers to face charges.

Tackling Traffickers and Taking Their Treasures:

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Human Trafficking Investigations (2.0 Hours)

This advanced training for law enforcement delves into the comprehensive strategies necessary to dismantle sex trafficking networks and seize traffickers’ assets. Through a multidisciplinary lens, participants will learn how collaboration with key stakeholders—such as jail intelligence officers, banking institutions, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations—strengthens investigations and leads to successful asset seizures. The course focuses on the importance of combining investigative techniques, financial forensics, and legal frameworks to effectively prosecute traffickers and strip them of their illicit gains. Real-world case studies will illustrate how this collaborative approach has led to the dismantling of trafficking organizations, bringing justice to victims and holding traffickers accountable both criminally and financially. Law Enforcement Only/Financial Crimes Investigators Only

 Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the multidisciplinary approach to sex trafficking investigations, emphasizing the role of law enforcement, financial institutions, and governmental agencies in building strong cases.
2. Identify key investigative techniques used to gather intelligence on traffickers’ human and financial operations, including digital surveillance, undercover operations, and forensic accounting.
3. Learn the legal framework for asset seizure and strategies for identifying, freezing, and confiscating assets from traffickers, such as real estate, luxury goods, and cryptocurrency, in collaboration with financial institutions and governmental agencies.
4. Develop strategies for inter-agency coordination to ensure smooth communication, task delegation, and collaborative efforts in the pursuit of trafficking networks and asset recovery operations.

Human Trafficking Beyond Awareness: Advanced Training for School Resource Officers 

(2.0 Hours)

This specialized training is designed to provide School Resource Officers (SROs) with an in-depth understanding of human trafficking, going beyond basic awareness to equip them with the tools and strategies necessary to identify, intervene, and support students at risk. Participants will explore the unique dynamics of trafficking within school environments, learn how traffickers exploit vulnerabilities, and develop skills to recognize red flags among students.

The course will include a detailed case study that highlights real-world applications of these principles, demonstrating how SROs can collaborate with school staff, community resources, and law enforcement to combat trafficking effectively. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to create a safer environment for students.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize Key Indicators: Learn how to identify signs of trafficking or grooming in students, including behavioral changes, online activity, and peer dynamics.
2. Strengthen Prevention Strategies: Gain strategies to build trust with students, collaborate with school staff, and foster an environment where students feel safe to report concerns.
3. Investigate and Respond: Understand the role of SROs in initiating and supporting trafficking investigations, including documenting evidence and connecting victims with appropriate resources.
4. Case Study Application: Analyze a real-world case study to understand the complexities of school-based trafficking cases and the importance of SRO involvement in achieving successful outcomes.

This training empowers SROs to become proactive protectors and trusted allies in the fight against human trafficking, ensuring the safety and well-being of the students they serve.

Behind the Screen: Tactical Approaches to Undercover Chatting with Sex Buyers and Traffickers (2.0 Hours)

In this comprehensive training session, participants will delve into the intricate process of conducting undercover chats with sex buyers, traffickers, and child predators. Drawing on lived experience from years of undercover work, the session will guide prosecutors and law enforcement officials through the critical steps of setting up operations, selecting suitable undercover officers, and identifying locations to engage with suspects online. Emphasis will be placed on maintaining officer safety, navigating legal boundaries to avoid entrapment claims, and ensuring successful prosecutions. The course will provide practical insights, real-life examples, and actionable strategies to enhance the effectiveness of undercover operations targeting human traffickers. Law Enforcement Only

Course Objectives:

1. Operation Setup: Participants will learn how to effectively plan and execute undercover operations, focusing on the technical and logistical aspects of engaging with child predators, sex buyers, and traffickers online.
2. Officer Selection: Attendees will understand the key traits and skills necessary for undercover officers, ensuring they choose the right individuals to conduct sensitive and high-stakes online interactions.
3. Location Identification: The session will teach participants how to identify and utilize digital spaces where child predators, sex buyers, and traffickers operate, maximizing the reach and impact of their operations.
4. Legal and Safety Considerations: Prosecutors and law enforcement officials will explore the legal parameters surrounding entrapment, officer safety protocols, and strategies to secure convictions while minimizing risks during undercover engagements.

Detective Heidi Chance

Heidi Chance is a law enforcement veteran with over 27 years of service, specializing in combating sex trafficking. A renowned Subject Matter Expert (SME) and Expert Witness, she brings real-world experience as an undercover officer into her impactful training, coaching, and presentations. Heidi was featured in the PBS documentary Sex Trafficking in America and is an Executive Contributor for BRAINZ Magazine. She is the author of Talk To Them, a guide for parents navigating youth conversations about digital safety. Heidi is passionate about raising awareness, empowering communities and training law enforcement to fight sex trafficking through education and collaboration.