Elite Illinois Task Force to Hunt Human Traffickers

There's a new effort in Illinois to help combat one of the most terrible crimes that can be committed against another human being. An elite task force has been formed to hunt down and stop human traffickers in the state.

Illinois is one of the worst states for human trafficking

Illinois is frequently listed as one of the top 10 states for human trafficking crimes. In one year alone, it was estimated there were at least 267 human trafficking cases (that we know about) involving 427 victims. According to the Public Information Office of the Illinois State Police, something is being done about this. The state police have created the Illinois Trafficking Enforcement Group or ITEG for short.

“Human trafficking occurs not just globally, but locally, and it is critical law enforcement at all levels work together,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “The Illinois Trafficking Enforcement Group enables state and local law enforcement to literally work side by side, while coordinating with our federal partners, to stop this deplorable crime."

Illinois State Police say this group will operate similar to the nine ISP Metropolitan Enforcement Groups and 13 Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Forces that battle narcotics in the state. In addition, they say that over 1,300 Illinois State Police officers have now been trained specifically to combat human trafficking and 140 have received advanced investigative techniques needed for human trafficking crimes.