Rural communities in Central Texas are in the middle of a human trafficking triangle that operates between Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
"We'd like to think that proximity is protection. That if we're not near a major city or major highway, that our community is safer," Jessica Sykora of Unbound said to KXXV. "What we've learned working with survivors is that trafficking really is happening everywhere in our community."
Unbound Waco and Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition trained law enforcement, prosecutors and citizens on what to look for in human trafficking at the Groesbeck Convention Center on Friday, Feb. 21.
"There's so much misinformation. The white panel vans and people being tied up with rope. While that does happen, it is a small percentage of the cases, and so it creates an environment where our citizens are looking for the wrong thing. Educating them on what to look for to me is the most important thing," Joseph Scaramucci, McLennan County Sheriff's Office detective, said to KXXV.
Human trafficking is decentralized due to today's technology.
"It is all around us, and education is key," Dennis Wilson, Limestone County sheriff, said to KXXV.
Unbound Waco and the coalition also discussed how to protect people from becoming human trafficking victims.
Wilson said to KXXV, "We need all the eyes and ears we can get. What better than for our neighbors to alert us for what to look for to better perform our job."
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