Friday, August 10, 2018

Hogan announces initiatives to reduce human trafficking in Rockville appearance

Just weeks after it was revealed that human trafficking is up in Montgomery County in 2018, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan made an appearance in Rockville yesterday to address the issue. “As governor, I am committed to ensuring that not only are the violent perpetrators brought to justice, but that we also provide the resources necessary to help survivors recover and rebuild their lives,” Hogan said. “One of our most important responsibilities is to protect Maryland citizens, and human trafficking strikes at the very fiber of our Maryland communities, our families, and our children.”

Among the $9 million in funding and new programs Hogan announced Thursday were a new executive order creating an Anti-Human Trafficking Director position; a new crime, research, and innovation center; strengthened data collection; an updated identification protocol; $5 million in funding for anti-human trafficking efforts; and new legislation to categorize felony human trafficking as a violent crime. Hogan also announced more than $4 million in new grants to target gangs and violent criminal networks as part of the Maryland Criminal Intelligence Network (MCIN). Gang violence is up 72% in Montgomery County this year, thanks to our soft-on-crime County Council.

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