Hermitage police officer working to bring awareness to sex trafficking through forum

More and more we've been learning about sex trafficking and it's prevalence in Ohio and it's just as much an issue over the state line. That's why one officer in Hermitage is working to make sure he gets the word out with a special presentation.

"Sex trafficking when you break it down, it is the exploitation or the force fraud or coercion of people into a sex trade, against their will," Sammy Staples, Community Engagement Officer at the Hermitage Police station said. "It is happening here, it does exist in Pennsylvania," he said.

Staples was spreading that knowledge to anyone who would listen Monday, inside the sex trafficking awareness forum at the Hermitage municipal building.

"It's just going to talk about the different types of trafficking, the different types of traffickers, the processes that lead to being groomed and then exploited. People think that trafficking happens one way and young ladies or men are just kidnapped and forced into trafficking," Staples said. "There are situations of grooming and friending tactics that young people are tricked into it, from their own homes from their own communities it's a very, very dangerous complacency that happens and it happens right here," he said.

Sex trafficking is so hidden and the signs vary greatly.

"It goes from changes in demeanor, changes in behavior, changes in dropping hobbies, appearance changes, mood, depression, anxiety, it can come in several different ways," Staples said. "It's very underrepresented, misidentified, misclassified, we're learning that we don't know a lot about it and I'm trying to change that," he said.

Staples said it's really important to get this information out there because the more people there are who know what to look out for, the harder it will be for sex trafficking to fly under the radar.

"I like to involve the community, I like to involve teachers and parents and churches because that comes down to recognizing base line behaviors, recognizing changes in behaviors," Staples said. "Whatever I can do to start to generate some awareness, to start people asking questions and then they run with it, that's really what this is about. I believe that the prevention and the empowerment of youth it starts there. I would rather protect kids, help them protect themselves and not get them into it than trying to pull kids out of it," he said.

Staples said if you do come across sex trafficking you should not hesitate to reach out to someone like your local police, or depending on where you are, the national hotline.