Green Bay Police Department arrested 3 males in connection to suspected human trafficking

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Police Department rescued one female and arrested three males suspected to be soliciting prostitution, following a half-day sting operation on Dec. 7.

Police cited the three suspects with pandering, a Class A misdemeanor, although citations depend on the type of enforcement and the best recourse possible, Green Bay Police Department Capt. Jeff Brester told the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

The sting operation was done with the assistance of the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Awaken Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization raising awareness of human trafficking.

While Brester said he couldn't provide many details of this sting operation, he said the detectives dedicated to human trafficking focused this investigation on victim recovery. Other times, detectives will look into the pimps or other individuals organizing the sex trafficking or else those individuals soliciting sex from the victims.

Brown County law enforcement agencies are in touch with "several dozen" victims of human trafficking on a yearly basis, Brester said, and through gaining their trust, detectives are able to gather information and determine how they'll select enforcement.

"It's not just writing tickets or making arrests — that is a portion of the human trafficking solution," Brester said. "We also work with the other community partners such as Awaken (Wisconsin), Wise Women (Gathering Place) of Green Bay, Family Services. Our ultimate goal is not to arrest ourselves out of the situation. It is to identify the victims and get them out of the trade altogether."

How widespread is sex trafficking in Brown County and Wisconsin?

In Brown County alone, Awaken Wisconsin has served more than 100 women and girls coming out of commercial sexual exploitation over the last year and a half, said Awaken Wisconsin's executive director Kasia Klaus.

The average age of victims was 29, the oldest was 69, and the youngest was 11.

In the last eight years, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has reported more than 31,600 cases and receives about 100 calls per day. Of those cases, 1,640 have occurred in Wisconsin since the hotline's inception in 2007. In 2021, Wisconsin's hotline received signals from 111 victims or survivors of human trafficking, which includes sex trafficking. Those signals led authorities to 166 victims in the state that year.

An overwhelming majority of Wisconsin's victims were female, and nearly a quarter of all victims were children, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Awaken Wisconsin receives a majority of its referrals from both Green Bay Police Department and Brown County Jail, said Klaus, who previously served as a prosecutor for the Brown County District Attorney's Office and on the Menominee reservation.

Around 15 of Awaken Wisconsin's participants — victims of sexual exploitation who qualify for the nonprofit's services — are incarcerated individuals.

"Usually they're not sitting on prostitution charges. It's collateral charges: robbery, arson, domestic violence," Klaus said. "Off the top of my head, I want to say it's been about 40% of our referrals have come from Brown County Jail."

How does sex trafficking happen?

Perpetrators tend to target vulnerable populations, which run the gamut from people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, sexual abuse and foster care, Klaus said.

"Usually, it is those vulnerabilities in which they attack. And then, through the grooming process, in the coercive bonding, we see them led into lives of commercial sexual exploitation," Klaus said.

Very rarely are victims kidnapped, despite what Hollywood movies like "Taken" and "Sound of Freedom" might suggest, Klaus emphasized. That lack of understanding is one of the biggest barriers in the Brown County community, Klaus said.

"Our community doesn't fully understand what (sex trafficking) looks like, nor do enough people understand the traumatic situations most of these women and girls endure and how it's not as easy as they assumed to get out," Klaus said. "There's so many barriers, financial barriers, housing barriers, stability barriers."

What are the signs of sex trafficking?

Brester said one telltale sign that someone is being trafficked is sudden change: A girl starts skipping school and shows up wearing expensive-looking clothes without explanation. Someone might suddenly have a lot money for things despite not having a job.

Habitual truancy, habitual runaways, drug use, multiple IDs and gift cards. These are all red flags, said Brester, and not only for victims of sex trafficking. Suspects, who often also have traumatic backgrounds, may also start exhibiting more lofty behaviors.

That's not to say any of the above are dead giveaways for sex trafficking, but historically, these have been the warning signs that concerned family and community members have reported.

Klaus said another tell is if there's a dominating figure speaking on behalf of the person in public settings. Unexplained injuries, multiple hotel keys, rolls of cash, multiple phones, gift cards, multiple IDs and evading questions have also served as red flags at Awaken Wisconsin, Klaus said.

If you have concerns that someone may be a victim of human trafficking, Brester recommended reaching out to Awaken Wisconsin at 920-333-1701 or infowi@awakenjustice.org; Wise Women Gathering Place at 920-490-0627 or info@wisewomengp.org; or Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin at 920-436-8888.

"You can always reach out to us too," Brester said. "Our detectives work closely with Awaken Wisconsin, so even if you reach out to Awaken, Awaken's going to reach out to us also."

If you suspect that someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please contact the Green Bay Police Department at (920) 448-3200 for help. For additional information on Awaken Wisconsin, please visit, https://www.awakenjustice.org/awaken-wisconsin.

Natalie Eilbert covers mental health issues for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. You can reach her at neilbert@gannett.com or view her Twitter profile at @natalie_eilbert. If you or someone you know is dealing with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay Police arrested 3 males in human trafficking sting operation