The USPCA now offers training to help K9s sniff out individuals being trafficked.IMAGE: Pexels-Pixabay
The Ohio Special Response Team's K9 member, Basa, was recently awarded the first nationwide certification for human trafficking recovery training from the United States Police Canine Association.
K9 handler Sarah Gentry talked to WMFD.com about what this certification trains dogs to do.
She explained in the article that Basa just received a certification where they had to test with the USPCA, which is the United States Police Canine Association.
The certification was for human trafficking, so the K9 had to locate people hidden in an open field, hidden in a building, and concealed in cars, the article reported.
"She's actually the first one in the country to certify in human trafficking through the USPCA,” Gentry told the media outlet. “We're members of the Ohio Special Response Team, which is an all-volunteer search and rescue team. Basa and I are part of the canine division, and I'm lieutenant of the canine division. The Ohio Special Response Team is only deployed by an agency having jurisdiction in a search, which is generally law enforcement or fire. We have seven units throughout the state, and we serve all of Ohio and neighboring states."
Human trafficking is a serious problem world-wide and, most definitely in the United States, reported an article from the Ohio Special Response Team. The article shares that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children manages over 28,000 missing children cases every year. In Ohio, alone, the article shared that the NCMEC assisted with more than 1,700 cases of missing children in 2023. In the United States, the Human Trafficking Hotline received reports from more than 23,000 trafficked individuals.
While a significant percentage (as many as 95%) of missing children are safely recovered, the article reported there remain altogether too many who simply never reappear. What's more, frequently, the trafficked adults are at risk of slipping through the investigative cracks without someone or group advocating on their behalf, the article reported.
