Speaker of the House Philip Gunn
Monday, February 25, 2019, the Speaker’s Commission on Public Policy, in conjunction with the Center for Violence Prevention, will co-host a three-day Amber Alert Training at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer Training Academy (MLEOTA) in Pearl.
The event is expected to bring in 75 investigators from state, local and federal law enforcement agencies around the state. They will be trained by representatives from the National Criminal Justice Training Center on interrogation techniques for Child Sex Trafficking and Exploitation.
Speaker Philip Gunn will offer the welcome before the training commences at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning.
“I am pleased to see this many law enforcement investigators taking interest in this training,” said Speaker Gunn. “We recognize that consistent, across-the-board training is vital in curbing human trafficking. The legislation the House passed at the beginning of session includes specialized training as a need in this area.”
The Center for Violence Prevention in Mississippi organized this event and assisted with the crafting of the House legislation. The center provides a place of refuge and rehabilitation for human trafficking victims.
“The Center for Violence Prevention, through The Tower human trafficking facility, is providing rapid response advocates to law enforcement across the state to assist in screening and identifying victims and finding placement for them,” said Sandy Middleton, executive director for the Center for Violence Prevention in Mississippi. “The Amber Alert trainings provide experts in sex trafficking investigations to come to our state and offer face-to-face training and tips for our law enforcement personnel. Healing from these traumatic experiences takes evidence-based programming and some time. We are excited to offer this opportunity!”
Speaker of the House Philip Gunn Press Release
2/22/2019
Sarah Ulmer
