Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
03/13/2023 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Governor's Council on Human & Sex Trafficking/2022 Report by Dps | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE JUDICIARY STANDING COMMITTEE
March 13, 2023
1:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Sarah Vance, Chair
Representative Jamie Allard, Vice Chair
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Craig Johnson
Representative David Eastman
Representative Andrew Gray
Representative Cliff Groh
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW: GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON HUMAN & SEX TRAFFICKING/2022
REPORT BY DPS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
TONY WEGRZYN, Lieutenant; Deputy Commander
Division of Alaska State Troopers;
Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit
Department of Public Safety
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Department of Public Safety Human and Sex Trafficking
Enforcement."
KATIE TEPAS, Staff; Program Coordinator
Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking;
Division of Alaska State Troopers
Department of Public Safety
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking."
BRENDA STANFILL, Vice Chair
Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented a PowerPoint presentation,
titled "Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking."
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:00:12 PM
CHAIR SARAH VANCE called the House Judiciary Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. Representatives Gray and Vance
were present at the call to order. Representatives C. Johnson,
Groh, Allard, Eastman, and Carpenter arrived as the meeting was
in progress.
^OVERVIEW: Governor's Council on Human & Sex Trafficking/2022
Report by DPS
OVERVIEW: Governor's Council on Human & Sex Trafficking/2022
Report by DPS
1:00:37 PM
CHAIR VANCE announced that the only order of business would be
an overview on the governor's Council on Human and Sex
Trafficking and the 2022 report by the Department of Public
Safety.
1:03:30 PM
TONY WEGRZYN, Lieutenant, Deputy Commander, Division of Alaska
State Troopers, Statewide Drug Enforcement Unit, Department of
Public Safety (DPS), provided a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Department of Public Safety Human and Sex Trafficking
Enforcement" [hard copy included in the committee packet]. He
gave a brief review of the work he has done for DPS. He moved
to slide 2 which quoted DPS's deputy commissioner, and he
reiterated that prostitution is intertwined with drug
trafficking and other violent crimes. He showed slide 3, which
addressed the reasons sex trafficking exists in Alaska. He
pointed out that this includes a low risk and high reward
component. He added that these cases are very complex to
investigate, and this is attributed to the different crimes
intertwined with prostitution. He continued explaining the
reasons that sex trafficking exists in Alaska, which also
include the demand, vulnerabilities in the state's population,
and gaps in services for victims. He also referenced the money
that an individual could make from prostitution, quoting prices
found last week from active Anchorage advertisements. He
compared these prices with that of trafficking illegal drugs.
He noted that versus the drug trade, the victims of sex
trafficking are often "recycled" and used again.
1:09:24 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN discussed locations where sex trafficking is
found, as seen on slide 4, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Primarily internet based
• Sex trafficking victims are working less on the
streets
• Online sites have become the primary method of
advertising
• Adultlook
• Skip The Games
• Megapersonals
• Not as many ads, but the numbers are rising for:
OneBackPage
• Adult Search
• USA sexguide
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN stated that it is a wide misconception that
prostitution involves consenting adults. He noted that there
are many ways that consenting adults have consensual sex without
exchanging money. He reiterated that the use of money
incentivizes sex trafficking, and he highlighted that it is used
as a recruitment tool.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN noted that slide 5 and slide 6 had already
been reviewed for the committee; therefore, he briefly
summarized the topics.
1:13:05 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN reviewed the statutes on slide 7. He pointed
out that deterrence is the key in all criminal behavior. He
outlined that the chance of getting caught and consequences
severe enough to teach a criminal are the two components of
deterrence.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN reviewed a 2014 investigation, known as
"Alaska Naughty Maids," as seen on slide 8. He stated that this
was one of the first Special Crimes Investigative Unit's
(SCIU's) investigation of this type. He stated that women were
marketed on the website across the state, and the main suspect
was convicted of sex trafficking in the second degree in 2015.
On slide 9, he recounted a 2016 murder of a 16-year-old boy, who
was shot by a gun stolen from a patron of prostitution. He
noted that patrons will often bring a gun to the scene, as they
know they could be assaulted. He noted an error on the slide,
as the conviction had been manslaughter.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN examined the real-life risks to patrons and
sex workers on slide 10, and he explained Class A Misdemeanors
and Class B Misdemeanors.
1:18:30 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN discussed recent trooper cases, as seen on
slide 11. He discussed a demand reduction operation which had
targeted patrons. A fake advertisement had been posted, which
resulted in 250 responses in 24 hours. He stated that many of
these responses were sex traffickers offering the prostitute
incentives to come work for them. He noted that this is
considered a recruitment tool for sex traffickers.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN discussed the demand for prostitution, as
seen on slide 12, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
• The reason traffickers traffic their victims is
MONEY
• Patrons are the funding source for traffickers
• Conducted numerous interviews with patrons: not one
has considered the person they are set to meet could
be being forced to have sex
• Nearly all of the patrons considered they could be
robbed during the event and took countermeasures to
reduce the chances: armed, wanted to meet in a public
place, etc.
• Demand reduction ads:
• Young adult fictious female
• 200 unique phone numbers wishing to meet
• 54 numbers soliciting account for sex after
only 18 hours
1:26:09 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, on slide 13, highlighted another demand
reduction operation in 2022, where 22 patrons were contacted,
all agreeing to trade sex for money. He stated that all were
charged under AS 11.66.100(a)(2), a class B misdemeanor that
prohibits payment for sexual conduct. Moving to slide 14, he
outlined the trooper criminal cases and arrestees, as seen on
the graphs.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN noted his technique of portraying a patron to
gather information on sex workers. He continued discussing
techniques for information gathering and interviewing, as seen
on slide 15. He noted that sex workers almost always have
experienced sexual and physical assault, almost always have
known other women who are being trafficked, and almost never
report their own trafficking.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN moved to slide 16 concerning recruitment
methods for victims, and he reiterated that sex traffickers will
search common sex-for-money advertising websites to recruit
potential victims. He added that controlled substances can be
used as a recruiting tool, or at a minimum, a tool to coerce the
victim to perform. He concluded drug trafficking and sex
trafficking commonly overlap, as addiction is often used as a
tool to control the prostitute.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN discussed exploiting vulnerabilities on slide
17. He stated that traffickers often profit from finding and
recruiting people to exploit. They do this by identifying their
victims' vulnerabilities, which is often through drug addiction.
He listed other needs that the traffickers may target, such as
child care, education, food, and housing.
1:36:05 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN listed characteristics that traffickers tend
to target on slide 18, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
• Low self-esteem
• Drug or alcohol use/addiction
• Relationship issues (e.g. domestic violence)
Family issues
• Someone seeking to leave current situation
• Prior victimization (as a child or adult)
• Mental health issues
• Naiveté or innocence
• Particular cultures or ethnicities
1:38:14 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN outlined a 2021 multistate investigation, as
seen on slide 19. He continued to slide 20, which addressed how
traffickers maintain control of victims, which involves the use
of threats, violence, fear, or blackmail. He reiterated that
traffickers would meet some of the most basic needs of victims,
obtaining control over nearly every aspect of their lives,
including drug addiction. On slide 21, he discussed how the sex
traffickers' groom their victims. He stated that this involves
targeting the victim, gaining their trust and information,
fulfilling their needs, isolating them, and then abusing them.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN concluded on slide 22, which listed the needs
of victims and survivors. The list includes protection,
housing, clothing, transportation, child care, crisis
intervention, mental health counseling, job training, substance
abuse treatment, advocacy, legal services, education, medical
services, and employment.
1:45:23 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, in response to a series of committee
questions, stated that the data on the slide is statewide and
this is related to existing statutes. Concerning why there are
so few charges for prostitution, he answered that only patrons
are charged. He stated that the focus is on the demand rather
than the supply because of the discretionary objective. He
stated that the effort to deter supply involves providing
resources and assistance. He noted that charging the prostitute
is seen as less beneficial in stopping trafficking.
1:50:04 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, in response to a committee question,
expressed the belief that educating the state's youth should be
a component. He expressed uncertainty concerning any
information on specific programs, and he offered that there
should be education on these risks. Concerning the age
appropriateness for education, he recommended that if a person
is old enough to have a smart phone, the person is old enough
for the education.
1:53:18 PM
KATIE TEPAS, Staff, Program Coordinator, Governor's Council on
Human and Sex Trafficking, Division of Alaska State Troopers,
Department of Public Safety, in response to a follow-up
question, answered that in the upcoming presentation the
recommendations for education will be reviewed.
CHAIR VANCE said she has worked on awareness events. She
discussed a parenting class for the digital age that was offered
in Homer.
1:55:25 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, in response to a committee comment, pointed
out the 90 charges for trafficking, as seen on slide 14. He
estimated that there had been a larger amount of sexual assault
charges during this time. In response to a follow-up question,
he expressed the understanding that Alaska is number one in the
nation in terms of sexual assault and child abuse. He added
that he does not currently have this data available.
MS. TEPAS, concerning sexual assault rates, responded that the
Alaska Victimization Survey has the best data available in the
state. She stated that this is a prevalence study which
indicates that Alaska has some of the highest rates in the
nation. She noted that each state has different statutes, so
the comparisons would not be "apples to apples." She further
discussed these rates.
1:58:50 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, in response to a committee question,
discussed the variety of reasons why the conviction rate seems
low compared to the rate of charges. He added that the
Department of Law would also have this data.
2:00:58 PM
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, in response to a committee question,
affirmed that only Alaska State Trooper data has been
represented. Concerning whether other police departments have
units for these types of crimes, he shared his understanding
that the state troopers are leading the charge in this arena.
In response to a follow-up question concerning duplicative
efforts in the state, he explained that most departments do not
have the capacity for these units. He added that there is
cooperation among departments.
2:02:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY returned to slide 11, highlighting the large
demands. He inquired about the legal alternatives to satisfying
demand.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN responded that the demand for anonymous sex
could be met with online dating apps. He pointed out that these
would allow consenting adults to meet up without the exchange of
money for the sex act.
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY opined that there may be situations where an
older man may not find a legal way to have his sexual needs met
using the online dating apps and without exchanging money. He
questioned whether there could be alternative legal options that
would protect both the sex worker and patrons, and in turn
disable traffickers.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN expressed the opinion that this is a
philosophical debate, pointing out that Nevada already has a
model for this; however, he opined that even though marijuana
has been legalized, there is still a black-market trade.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN, in response to a follow-up question,
confirmed that the path for a black market occurs when a
legalized process takes place.
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD pointed out that standing up an
independent sex trafficking unit could curtail other crime. She
questioned any recommendations.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN responded that every police department in
Alaska would have to triple in size. He pointed out that
resources are needed just to protect local citizens, stating
that smaller departments would not be able to support the extra
staff for this.
2:10:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked whether a black market did not
exist before marijuana was legalized.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN explained that "the black market was just the
market" before legalization of marijuana occurred. He explained
that there would not be a black market for something that is
already illegal.
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN, referring to the example on slide 21,
asked whether charges were brought against the sex trafficker
who attempted to target and coerce the 17-year-old model.
LIEUTENANT WEGRZYN responded that this had allowed them to start
an investigation, and the individual was charged for other sex
trafficking crimes. In response to a follow-up question
concerning grooming, he stated that there are laws against
offering drugs to an underaged person. He expressed uncertainty
concerning any charges that have occurred for grooming behavior.
2:14:45 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 2:14 p.m. to 2:16 p.m.
2:16:55 PM
BRENDA STANFILL, Vice Chair, Governor's Council on Human and Sex
Trafficking, co-presented the PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking" [hard copy
included in the committee packet].
MS. TEPAS co-presented the PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Governor's Council on Human and Sex Trafficking." On slide 2,
she discussed the creation of the council by Administrative
Order 328 [introduced during the Thirty-second Alaska State
Legislature] and the resulting report [copy included in the
committee packet]. She defined the duties of the council, as
seen on slide 4 and slide 5. These include identifying the gaps
in human trafficking information and providing various
recommendations. She noted that for the purposes of the report
and the presentation, the word "trafficking" will include sex,
labor, and the commercial side of the sexual exploitation of
children (CSEC).
2:20:49 PM
MS. TEPAS, on slide 6, noted that the council has identified 8
key priorities with 56 action steps and 6 subcommittees. She
outlined key priority 1 on slide 7, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Statutory change to CDVSA's duties to include sex
trafficking and funding for the Council and CDVSA
Addition of Departments of Labor and Family and
Community Services
Addition of demand reduction to key duties
Inclusion of commercial sexual exploitation of
children
Advance legislation
Enact statute that places the Council in the
Department of Public Safety
MS. TEPAS introduced key priority 2, curriculum development and
training, on slide 8. She deferred to Ms. Stanfill to present
the recommendations.
2:26:38 PM
MS. STANFILL outlined the three recommendations related to key
priority 2 on slide 8, which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Work with a stakeholder group led by Department of
Education to review existing trafficking prevention
curricula
Develop e-learning module for educators
Incentivize and offer training for educators to use
K-12 curricula (voluntary)
MS. TEPAS noted that Alaska has had success in raising the
skills of educators in the areas of teen dating violence and
sexual abuse of minors through Alaska's Safe Children's Act and
taskforce. She stated that it is recommended that the
taskforce's rigorous format for educator training be followed.
She noted that the format has been evaluated for age
appropriateness with its curriculum. She further discussed this
curriculum and its evaluation, introducing key priority 3.
MS. STANFILL outlined the recommendations of key priority 3, as
seen on slide 9, titled "Key Priority 3: Training to Identify
and Respond to Trafficking," which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Host a biennial statewide Trafficking and Commercial
Sexual Exploitation of Children symposium
Fund discipline specific training
Provide trauma 101 training for mental health
providers and sponsor certification training for key
treatment modalities
Offer specialized trafficking training similar to
Sexual Assault Response Training
MS. TEPAS noted that, concerning this priority, the Anchorage
Police Department and the Alaska Justice Center has received a
federal grant to set up a unit. She stated that the unit would
set up training for law enforcement and other entities. She
noted that training has been occurring in the state already;
however, she stressed that there is a need for additional
training. She introduced key priority 4 concerning awareness
campaigns.
MS. STANFILL moved to slide 10, titled "Key Priority 4: Public
Awareness Campaigns" which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Create a working group to coordinate the development
of messaging
Develop a multi-faceted campaign on all forms of
trafficking
Translate materials into eight languages
Collect and compile data on trafficking in Alaska and
make available
2:38:53 PM
MS. TEPAS introduced key priority 5, which involves housing
insecurity for victims.
MS. STANFILL moved to slide 11 and discussed several models for
creating safe and supportive housing. These include the Toronto
model, SAFE-T model, and Maricopa model. She advised that a
voucher program should be created in the state. She also
advised that there should be increased connections between
survivor serving organizations and grant programs.
MS. TEPAS added that the SAFE-T model stands for "survivor's
assistance for escaping trafficking." She stated that this is
funded from a grant awarded to the Alaska Housing Finance
Corporation. She introduced key priority 6, which addresses
that survivors need professional and peer support.
MS. STANFILL moved to slide 12, titled "Key Priority 6: Expand
Services for Victims and Survivors," which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Establish comprehensive and integrated wrap around
on-site service centers
Establish a state hotline
Develop specialized services for youth victims of
commercial sexual exploitation of children
Increase funded services to address primary needs
MS. TEPAS directed attention to slide 13, which listed needed
services for victims and survivors. She moved to slide 14 and
key priority 7, which is to establish demand reduction diversion
programs. She highlighted the key recommendations.
2:48:08 PM
MS. TEPAS moved to slide 15 and stated that key priority 8 is to
identify gaps in trafficking information. She addressed the
lack of standardized screening tools, the discrepancy across
sectors as to how trafficking is defined, the limited data on
labor trafficking, and the fact sex trafficking is not a sex
crime under AS 11.41; therefore, data across all police agencies
is not available in the DPS Felony Sex Offense Report
MS. TEPAS referred to slide 16 and outlined recommended actions,
which includes the development of screening tools for commercial
sexual exploitation of children, compiling existing data sets
and definitions into one location, and adding trafficking
questions to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Study. Summarizing the
presentation, she moved to slide 17 and slide 18.
2:54:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN recalled that Ms. Stanfill had mentioned
a desire to bring in stakeholders to form a more collaborative
process. He asked for clarification of the meaning of
"stakeholders."
MS. STANFILL responded that stakeholders would not include the
patrons.
CHAIR VANCE thanked the presenters.
2:56:45 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Judiciary Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:56 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HJUD Department of Public Safety Human-Sex Trafficking Presentation 3.13.2023.pdf |
HJUD 3/13/2023 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HJUD Council on Human-Sex Trafficking 3.13.23.pdf |
HJUD 3/13/2023 1:00:00 PM |
|
| GCHST-Final-Report-Sept2022.pdf |
HJUD 3/13/2023 1:00:00 PM |