SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Law enforcement agencies from across Georgia gathered at Savannah State University for specialized human trafficking training during the 11th annual Savannah Traffick Jam, hosted by the Savannah Interagency Diversity Council (SIDC).

Last year’s Traffick Jam event helped locate a missing child when an attendee recognized a local child in a photo displayed at their table.

“It only takes one person to recognize a child’s poster,” said Patricia Willingham, executive director of the Missing Children’s Division at The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Local law enforcement leaders said human trafficking training is critical, especially in Chatham County.

“Chatham County is within the top ten counties in Georgia where human trafficking is reported,” said Gene Harley, captain with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

Human trafficking is defined by the Department of Justice as a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts.

Harley said Savannah’s tourism industry and major interstates make the area a hub, and emphasized that fighting trafficking requires more than arrests.

Special agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation led the training sessions and highlighted that trafficking frequently operates in the shadows of everyday life, often going undetected by the communities it affects.

“A common misconception is that it doesn’t happen here. It doesn’t happen in our school, in our community, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Special Agent Tori McNeese with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

McNeese said Savannah sees both sex and labor trafficking, with sex trafficking especially prevalent in this region. Her main message was to trust your gut when something feels off.

“If you see something, please say something,” McNeese said.

Local law enforcement said they are walking away from the training with new tools and strategies they are ready to put to work. They are already planning to use what they learned in their ongoing investigations.

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