| The hidden nature of sex trafficking crimes in the United States continues to concern lawmakers and law enforcement agencies because of the challenges with identifying victims within communities. Limited studies conducted by researchers focused on law enforcement perception on identifying sex trafficking victims. The problem is law enforcement agencies may not be aware of how to accurately identify and intervene when experiencing initial contact with sex trafficking victims. The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore law enforcement detectives' perception in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC on their approach to accurately identify and intervene with sex trafficking victims within their jurisdictions. The research consisted of face-to-face interviews with 6 participants; three (3) local, one (1) state, and two (2) federal law enforcement detectives. The participants responded to 19 opened-ended semi-structured interview questions to address two reseach questions that addressed law enforcement perception on identification of victims and their intervention strategy upon initial contact with the victim. Most of the participants' response supported previous literature citing that human trafficking training assisted with identifying sex trafficking crimes, misalignment of legislation at the state and federal levels hindered their efforts, partnerships facilitated law enforcement efforts, immigration status prevented some victims from self-reporting, and prosecuting sex trafficking crimes was difficult for prosecutors. Future research should explore collecting sex trafficking data over an extended period and across multiple regions, traffickers' approaches to coerce victims into the sex trafficking industry, how perpetrators are evading prosecution, and the accessibility of victim service programs. |
