{"id":281295,"date":"2026-05-22T20:40:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281295\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T20:40:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T20:40:55","slug":"federal-university-partnership-advances-coordinated-human-trafficking-response-to-support-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/281295\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal-university partnership advances coordinated human trafficking response to support victims"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stpetersburg.usf.edu\/news\/listing.aspx?tag=Matthew%20Cimitile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Matthew Cimitile<\/a>, University Communications and Marketing<\/p>\n<p>A new partnership between the primary federal law enforcement agency combatting human<br \/>\n                  trafficking and the University of South Florida aims to strengthen victim-centered<br \/>\n                  response efforts within the state.<\/p>\n<p>On May 22, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa and Miami field offices signed<br \/>\n                  a Memorandum of Understanding with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usf.edu\/cbcs\/criminology\/tip-lab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">USF\u2019s Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience (TIP) Lab<\/a> to adopt a victim response framework successfully used by USF researchers and local<br \/>\n                  and state partners in recent years. The enhanced efforts among federal, state and<br \/>\n                  local partners involved in human trafficking survivor support, service coordination<br \/>\n                  and research will benefit victims and improve long-term trafficking response outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>Central to the partnership is the lab\u2019s Bridging Resources and Information Gaps in<br \/>\n                  Human Trafficking (BRIGHT) Project, directed by USF Criminology Professor Shelly Wagers<br \/>\n                  and supported by technology partner Pinkston Rose Rustand (The PRR Group). Working<br \/>\n                  together, they engineered a victim service connector technology now being expanded<br \/>\n                  through the HSI partnership to strengthen victim response and coordination efforts.<\/p>\n<p>BRIGHT helps victims of human trafficking by rapidly connecting them with organizations<br \/>\n                  and resources in their community. It allows professionals in anti-trafficking organizations<br \/>\n                  to track, coordinate and provide services such as health care and safe housing to<br \/>\n                  survivors. Law enforcement, non-profit organizations and social workers can access<br \/>\n                  the technology as they seek to assist victims of labor and sex trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>HSI special agents and victim assistance specialists will use an expansion of the<br \/>\n                  tool that addresses law enforcement needs. The collaboration reflects HSI\u2019s victim-centered<br \/>\n                  approach to trafficking investigations, which places a high value on identifying,<br \/>\n                  recovering and stabilizing victims.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHSI\u2019s commitment to a victim-centered approach is at the heart of our human trafficking<br \/>\n                  investigations,\u201d said HSI Tampa acting Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. \u201cBy<br \/>\n                  partnering with the University of South Florida and leveraging innovative tools like<br \/>\n                  BRIGHT, we are not only strengthening our ability to identify, recover and support<br \/>\n                  survivors of human trafficking, but multiplying our impact through enhanced collaboration<br \/>\n                  with federal, state and local partners. This is truly a force multiplier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>HSI is a leader in the fight against human trafficking, and accounts for nearly 50<br \/>\n                  percent of all human trafficking investigations and prosecutions annually. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Between October 2020 and October 2023, HSI\u2019s Victim Assistance Program assisted 3,715<br \/>\n                  victims, including 2,044 minors who were victims of varying levels of human trafficking<br \/>\n                  and exploitation. Employing a victim-centered approach places equal value on identifying,<br \/>\n                  recovering, and stabilizing victims while investigating and helping prosecute their<br \/>\n                  traffickers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHSI recognizes that combating trafficking and supporting survivors requires partners<br \/>\n                  in all areas of the anti-trafficking community, especially in academia,\u201d said HSI<br \/>\n                  Miami acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa. \u201cThis partnership has already<br \/>\n                  produced evidence-based research that will inform how HSI can more effectively deploy<br \/>\n                  our limited personnel to stabilize victims and ensure traffickers are held accountable.<br \/>\n                  Together, we are advancing our mission to dismantle trafficking networks and strengthen<br \/>\n                  long-term outcomes for victims across Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The agreement is intended to help develop and evaluate a scalable response model that<br \/>\n                  could inform future anti-trafficking efforts beyond Florida. USF researchers also<br \/>\n                  hope the partnership will generate long-term evidence on which trafficking response<br \/>\n                  and victim stabilization strategies are most effective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat makes this partnership unique is that it brings together survivors, service<br \/>\n                  providers, federal partners, university researchers and operational technology into<br \/>\n                  one coordinated response effort,\u201d Wagers said. \u201cOur hope is that this work helps build<br \/>\n                  more connected systems that reduce the burden victims and survivors often face while<br \/>\n                  navigating recovery and support during some of the most vulnerable moments of their<br \/>\n                  lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Currently, when law enforcement officials encounter trafficking victims, it can be<br \/>\n                  unclear what people or resources are available to provide help. It may take multiple<br \/>\n                  attempts to remove trafficking victims from their situation, so connecting them with<br \/>\n                  the right people and resources at the right time is key.<\/p>\n<p>Using this coordinated response model, the partnership is expected to improve identification<br \/>\n                  of missing youth, strengthen coordination between agencies and service providers,<br \/>\n                  and help researchers better understand which approaches are most effective to supporting<br \/>\n                  survivors immediately and for long-term recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-blockquote_text\">\u201cBy partnering with the University of South Florida and leveraging innovative tools<br \/>\n                        like BRIGHT, we are not only strengthening our ability to identify, recover and support<br \/>\n                        survivors of human trafficking, but multiplying our impact through enhanced collaboration<br \/>\n                        with federal, state and local partners.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"c-blockquote_attribution\">Micah McCombs, HSI Tampa acting Special Agent in Charge<\/p>\n<p>Since its launch in 2024, the BRIGHT Project has been used by 145 anti-trafficking<br \/>\n                  organizations, service providers and law enforcement entities in the state, including<br \/>\n                  the Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Office of the Attorney General,<br \/>\n                  Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and more. It has connected around 100 victims to vital<br \/>\n                  resources.<\/p>\n<p>Bright is a project of the USF TIP Lab, which has received federal and state support<br \/>\n                  to build and enhance anti-trafficking tools and knowledge. It has become a vital research<br \/>\n                  center in the state\u2019s fight against human trafficking.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur hope is that we build more connected, informed and victim-centered responses<br \/>\n                  both in Florida and nationally, which partnerships like this will allow us to do,\u201d<br \/>\n                  said Joan Reid, a USF criminology professor and director of the TIP Lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Matthew Cimitile, University Communications and Marketing A new partnership between the primary federal law enforcement agency combatting&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-281295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}