Scottsdale workers to be trained to identify human trafficking

Scottsdale employees being trained to spot signs of human trafficking

City employees in Scottsdale are being trained by Homeland security officials to identify and stop sex trafficking.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Over 2,400 municipal employees of Scottsdale, a Phoenix suburb with a tourism industry serving large numbers of visitors, are to undergo training in how to identify, report and report human and sex trafficking.

City employees to be trained come from a range of departments, including human services, public works, parks and recreation, police and fire, the state Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday.

According to the office, the training it is providing with federal Homeland Security Investigations and the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network in is part of the Safeguarding All From Exploitation (SAFE) program, a project launched in 2019 to protect people from exploitation.

The training will enable city employees "to spot these situations and could help save someone who is being exploited," Scottsdale Mayor David D. Ortega said. "We are committed to being part of the solution."

The program kicked off in Arizona in 2019 in Phoenix Sky Harbor and expanded to hotels and motels the following year. Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale was the first hotel in the state to receive SAFE certification.

Other SAFE-certified organizations include: