Fort Bend County May Create Human Trafficking Task Force

The Fort Bend County Prosecutor's Office submitted a grant proposal in May to create a Human Trafficking Task Force to further support victims in investigating and prosecuting individuals involved in human trafficking .

The details

The request is for the U.S. Department of Justice's Enhanced Collaborative Model Task Force grant, said Fort Bend County Second Assistant District Attorney Wesley Wittig.

If awarded, the county will receive $569,869 from the U.S. Department of Justice and provide a $189,631 match to the task force. The funds will support the hiring of the following two positions:

• Coordinator of the working group
• Investigator

In addition to prosecutorial efforts, the grant also requires collaboration with a victim service provider. To meet this requirement, Fort Bend County will partner with United Against Human Trafficking, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking, Wittig said.

The county is part of the Regional Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance, although the grant will help establish county-specific resources, Wittig said.

In numbers

The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office has seen 15 cases of human trafficking since 2019, according to data obtained through a public information request from the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. The highest peak of cases occurred in 2020 with eight, while one case of human trafficking was reported in the region in 2023.

What they say

“Human trafficking is a global problem, and the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office has always been the leader in combating this phenomenon at the local level – we did it when no one else would,” Wittig said in an email. “Obtaining the financial support needed to continue investigating these terrible crimes, holding criminals accountable, and recovering victims is important to District Attorney Brian Middleton because we want our residents to not only feel safe, but also feel safe. 'They are safe.'

Looking forward

The grants from the U.S. Department of Justice are expected to be awarded by Oct. 1, Wittig said.

If the county is awarded the grant, the funds will support the task force from October 1, 2024 through September. 20, 2027, according to agenda documents.