Howard County Human Trafficking Task Force

Chair
Vernon Gray, Administrator, Howard County Office of Human Rights
For more information, please contact Vernon Gray

Vice Chair
The Honorable Karen R. Toles, Prince George’s County Council

TASK FORCE ELIGIBILITY:

The Howard County Council has invited 16 representative stakeholders from the community to meet at least monthly to hear from federal, state, and local experts — including at least one victim — on the complexities of human trafficking and how it is manifested in Howard County. Members include the following:

  • The State’s Attorney, or a representative
  • The Chief of Police or a representative
  • Howard County Commission for Women representative
  • The Director of Social Services or a representative
  • The Health Officer or the Health Officer’s representative
  • The Sheriff or the Sheriff’s representative
  • The Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court or a representative (declined because the Judge might adjudicate a case)
  • Governor’s Task Force on Human Trafficking representative
  • Howard County Public Schools representative
  • Non-profit organizations representative(s)
  • Faith-based communities representative(s)
  • Ho Co AGAST (Howard County Advocacy Group Against Slavery and Trafficking) representative
  • Howard County General Hospital representative
  • Director of the Department of Citizen Services or a representative
  • Director of Howard County Technology and Communication Services or a representative

Meetings of the Task Force ar held at 9:00 a.m. at the C. Vernon Gray Room , Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043

The Howard County Human Trafficking Task Force was created by the Howard County Council Resolution 8-2014. Its purpose is to “study the issues associated with trafficking in Howard County, to educate the public about human trafficking, to identify and serve victims of human trafficking and to increase prosecution of traffickers.” The Task Force is charged with producing a report of recommendations for the Council by October 1, 2014.

There are four areas of concentration:

  1. Facilitate more coordinated anti-trafficking efforts in the County through protocol development, extensive community outreach, proactive investigations, training efforts, intelligence sharing, forming partnerships between law enforcement and non-governmental organizations, and the creation of a special law enforcement core group;

  2. Increase identification rates of human trafficking victims, including domestic and transnational victims of both sex and labor trafficking;

  3. Aid in the establishment of a provider network to provide comprehensive services to victims of trafficking;

  4. Increase the prosecution of traffickers, criminally, and where appropriate, civilly.

GOALS FOR 2014:

  • Produce a report of recommendations for the Howard County Council to assist the Council in its work “associated with trafficking in Howard County, to educate the public about human trafficking, to identify and serve victims of human trafficking and to increase prosecution of traffickers” 
  • Conduct Task Force meetings that provide a forum to educate Howard County leaders about human trafficking locally, primarily, but also regionally, nationally and internationally 
  • Assess local needs to combat the problem and suggest collaborations 
  • Engage a network of health, legal, enforcement and other colleagues with specialized skills and views of the problem

2014 SPECIAL PROJECTS:

Produce a report of recommendations for the Howard County Council by October 1, 2014.