Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today participated in a training led by the Texas Department of Public Safety to help Southern Nevada law enforcement identify and rescue child trafficking victims. The training is part of the Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) Program created by Captain Derek Prestridge to teach patrol officers to recognize suspicious behaviors in adults and children indicative of child trafficking and exploitation.
“As Nevada Attorney General, I worked closely with law enforcement to stem child trafficking and saw firsthand how our law enforcement needed more tools to identify and stop trafficking. That’s why I was proud to join our dedicated law enforcement in Nevada as they received vital training to identify and interact with victims of child trafficking. Thank you to Captain Prestridge and the Texas Department of Public Safety for bringing this valuable training to Las Vegas. I’ll continue fighting to expand this program throughout the country.”
BACKGROUND:
In January, Senator Cortez Masto introduced the Interdiction for the Protection of Child Victims of Exploitation and Human Trafficking Act, bipartisan legislation to establish a federal pilot program to train federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement officers to recognize and rescue at-risk and exploited children.