Human Trafficking: Is It Happening Here?

Local coalition shares red flags and best practices to help combat the crime

By Art Bukowski | June 8, 2024

Whether it be for labor, sex, drugs or more, thousands of people of all ages are trafficked across the country each year. Experts define it as using force, fraud, or coercion to exploit and profit from the services of people against their will.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported more than 16,000 victims of this crime in 2021 (the most recent year with available data), including 429 in Michigan. According to that same data set, Michigan ranked fifth in the nation for human trafficking cases, behind California, Texas, Florida, and New York.

And while such nefarious acts might seem more fitting for distant, more populated locales, officials say human trafficking is becoming more common in smaller resort towns like those in our region.

Last December, two firefighters from Grand Rapids helped identify a human trafficking victim while attending a conference in Traverse City. The Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Department arrested a man attempting to sex-traffic a minor in July 2023. And in the summer of 2022, eight men were arrested during a sting operation in Grand Traverse County.

“What you see in a number of places like Traverse City is a reluctance to acknowledge its presence, because it’s a very unsavory topic,” says Detective First Lt. Kip Belcher of the Michigan State Police. “But it’s not a handicap to acknowledge that there are aspects of this that are present and ongoing in our community. It’s far better to be proactive with it, have an understanding of it, and be able to recognize and fight it.”

Belcher, of the MSP’s Seventh District (which covers northern lower Michigan) is a founding member of Traverse City’s Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking, which formed in 2021. The coalition includes other law enforcement officers and a wide range of other local government officials and private citizens who by virtue of their profession (social workers, etc.) are in a position to respond to this problem.

“By being aware and responding correctly, we can put some strong protective measures in place for our community,” says founding task force member Linda Solem of Catholic Human Services.

A Region at Risk

While members of the task force couldn’t provide local human trafficking statistics, they do point to several factors that increase the area’s risk for this crime. Thousands of hotel rooms that welcome visitors from across the country and world are the biggest factor, as trafficking perpetrators often use hotel rooms for one reason or another.

The task force includes some local hospitality management, and last year it conducted training and provided informational materials for the hospitality industry as part of a front-line awareness campaign.

“We have to keep our eyes peeled for what looks unusual…and we want staff to know what to look for, how to respond, who to call,” Solem says.

Because the already-busy region’s popularity has seemingly exploded in recent years, the economic opportunities for trafficking, specifically in labor, have also increased. “It’s a good way to make money, and this is pretty much a commercial industry now,” Solem says.

A lack of specific incidents in the news shouldn’t fool anyone into thinking it isn’t an issue in Traverse City, Belcher adds.

“As with most crimes out there, they’re almost always under-reported,” he says. “It certainly is present and it’s certainly something that we need to bring more awareness to and knowledge about in an attempt to be more proactive with this…and not have human trafficking accelerate in our neighborhoods.”

Keeping a Watchful Eye

Because human trafficking is a highly variable crime, there are no surefire signals that folks can look for. More than 70 percent of victims are adults, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and 85 percent are female.

In general, experts say, look for situations in which one or more people look uncomfortable in the presence of someone who is presented as a friend or associate, especially situations in which those people aren’t allowed to speak for themselves.

If you know the potential victim, it’s also wise to look for behavioral changes that indicate something is amiss.

“It could even be as simple as a change in their clothing,” Solem says. “Also, a lot of times they do not give good eye contact and will look away. They might be shy, kind of reclusive, and hesitant to talk to you.”

But none of these things are applicable in all cases. Some victims may be even harder than most to spot, particularly if they don’t have a full grasp of their situation.

“In so many cases, [the victim] has been manipulated in such a way that they’re not going to say they’re being trafficked,” says Grand Traverse County Commissioner Darryl Nelson, a member of the task force. “They’re either afraid for their safety or what punishments might come, or they think that this person truly cares for them.”

Making the Call

The bottom line: If you suspect trafficking, call 911, Solem and Belcher say. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

“Make that phone call. Make it right away,” Belcher says. “If someone doesn’t have a phone with them, get to the nearest business, get to the front desk if you’re in a hotel environment, make that phone call. Take notice of the vehicle type, the description of the people, the potential victim.”

But don’t involve yourself. You could make the situation worse, authorities say, and many of the “handlers” involved in human trafficking are dangerous individuals.

“You have to remember that [the victim] is viewed as a financial investment. They are a financial means of money-making,” Belcher says. “And the people that are responsible for engaging in this conduct will go to whatever length is necessary to protect that investment.”

The task force is conducting a training specifically for law enforcement officers in June, with the goal of helping officers on the street be more aware of what to watch for when it comes to trafficking.

“The more that we’re exposed to something or aware of something, the more familiar we are with it and more likely to recognize it and be able to effectively deal with it,” Belcher says. “This is invaluable training because [human trafficking] is something that’s not encountered very often in northern Michigan by police personnel, and in many ways, we can be thankful for that. But we need to be prepared.”

For now, the more people that know about the problem—law enforcement or otherwise—the better, officials say.

“I think it’s very important to educate as many different people as we can, just regular folks in the community in addition to law enforcement personnel,” Belcher concludes. “It’s to our advantage to have numerically as many people as we can interested in this particular situation and becoming more aware of signs and indicators of it, and having the internal fortitude to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to make a phone call.’”