Anchorage is partnering with the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to combat human trafficking.
In a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz announced a partnership between Homeland Security's "Blue Campaign" and several city departments, including police and health and human services, to offer specific training on human trafficking.
The training extends to Anchorage police, municipal prosecutors, nonprofits, the state department of labor and workforce development and local health care providers.
The federal government defines human trafficking as "modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act."
Human trafficking can be difficult to recognize, according to Melinda Freemon, director of the Anchorage department of health and human services. She said victims can be kept out of sight and it often occurs to those already in precarious situations: homeless youths, those with a support system, and individuals who've experienced abuse and neglect.
The training, led by members of the Blue Campaign, gives people better information on how to spot and direct possible victims to resources on human trafficking, Anchorage Police Chief Justin Doll said at the press conference.
Mara Kimmel, head of the Alaska Human Trafficking Working Group and wife of Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, said it's hard to get accurate figures on how often human trafficking occurs in Anchorage and that the working group is trying to address that.
The working group was instrumental in bringing an Assembly ordinance that requires certain businesses — including assisted living facilities and hotels — to have signs in five different languages informing employees about human trafficking. She said the group has also been in conversations with the airport about possibly putting up similar signs and increasing public awareness.
"This is a crime that we don't readily acknowledge or recognize," Kimmel said at the press conference Tuesday. "So the first and biggest and most compelling step we need to take is to be able to teach people what it looks like."