To get a better understanding of the issue of human trafficking as it relates to Henry County, HCPD Captain Richard Harned gave a presentation to the Henry County Board of Commissioners at the November 5 Commission meeting.
In his presentation, Harned clarified misconceptions of information that had been released to the public from community groups and outside organizations and disclosed the number of occurrences of human trafficking that had taken place in the county.
He explained to the Board that a leading Georgia child advocacy agency reported that the county had 84 human trafficking referrals since 2016. He further explained how those numbers were developed, how they were associated with Henry County and why the information reported was not an accurate representation for Henry County.
“A referral necessarily does not mean trafficking has occurred. Regarding the numbers used in this presentation today, it was explained that referrals are received [to an agency] and evaluated by standardized evaluation criteria and then they are referred out through a screening process,” said Harned. “As it relates to the stats that I posted earlier, it does not mean that 84 acts of human trafficking occurred in Henry County. It simply means that 84 times, an agency or individual or a combination thereof felt that there might have been enough to warrant looking at to see if it was in fact a trafficking situation.”
Harned also said the connection between the county and the numbers that were presented during the meeting refers to the fact that the individual was living in Henry County at the time of the referral.
He continued to share with the Commission that he verified potential human trafficking cases with local partners including the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, McDonough, Hampton and Locust Grove Police, as well as external agencies like the DA’s Office, DFACS, Southern Crescent Sexual Assault Center, the FBI and the GBI, all reporting that there are no human trafficking cases occurring in the county at this time.
He further stressed the importance of awareness and education regarding the topic.
“It is a serious issue and it is one that the community needs to come together for – the community groups, county government and citizens in general,” said Harned. “We can redirect the conversation to properly educate individuals to recognize what human trafficking really is and how to report it so we can all help our children and other adult victims of this heinous crime.”
Chair June Wood thanked Harned for the presentation and the update.
“Thank you for bringing the facts,” said Wood. “I also want to thank you for identifying how we can continue to prevent this from rising here in Henry County and how we can work together with other organizations.”
For more information on human trafficking, visit www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking, and for more information on the Henry County Police Department, visit www.henrycountypolicedepartment.org.
