Taking action: Georgia targets Augusta’s human trafficking problem
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr shared with us news of a brand-new expansion coming to Richmond County’s human trafficking unit.
Right now, the only office is in Atlanta, so this is a big move toward expanding the program.
Carr says Augusta has become a hotspot for human trafficking, so the hope is that expanding the Garden City’s unit can save victims.
Carr says they want to take the same regional approach they used with the gang unit in 2023 to help coordinate Augusta’s largest drug bust ever and apply the theory they feel is successful and use it for the expansion here in Augusta.
Since its creation in 2019, the unit has only had one Atlanta-based team working with local, state and federal law enforcement to prosecute dangerous offenders.
Starting on May 1, there won’t be a new building for you to see, but there will be a new team of eyes that Carr says are highly trained and skilled when it comes to human trafficking.
ing the Augusta team are two local investigators, William Loomer and Patrick Brown, along with prosecutor Megan Adams.
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The team won’t just work the major roadways like I-20, they will be online too, in hopes of creating an environment where traffickers live in fear, but victims understand help is coming to more cities than just Augusta.
“We are going to have offices not only in Augusta, but in Macon and Atlanta,” said Carr. “I think the strategic point there is because human trafficking is so often a very transit-oriented type of horrific industry, where today you may be in Atlanta and tomorrow Macon, and the next day you may be in Augusta. This allows us to cover I-75, I-85, I-16 and I-20, so we have the major arteries in the state that we will now have a presence.”
Kari Viola-Brooke with Child Enrichment sees trafficking victims daily and says this will put more eyes in the community to help identify the growing number of cases.
“This is something we’ve been advocating for for years, it feels like,” said Viola-Brooke. “A couple of years ago, we had the most confirmed cases of child sex trafficking in the state of Georgia, and we knew that we needed a more dedicated response to be able to combat this. So we’re so appreciative of the Attorney General’s Office for not only recognizing this, but taking action, and I think it’s just going to make us a much safer community.”
Carr tells us that with the expansion to Augusta and Macon, they feel that not only will this help reach more victims, but their hope is that they can continue to grow the expansions across the state.
In Georgia, the average victim of human trafficking is a sixth- to eighth-grade girl, according to Carr’s office.
Numbers from the National Human Trafficking Hotline show that in 2021, 281 cases of human trafficking were identified in Georgia, and 1,065 victims were involved in these cases.
On Tuesday, a local youth organization drew attention to the growing number of cases in children.
Child Enrichment Casa Executive Director Kari Viola-Brooke told Augusta Commissioners they are seeing “a historically large number” in Richmond County alone.
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Last year, she says Richmond County served a little more than 500 kids.
This year, that number has grown by more than one hundred kids.
In total, between Richmond County and other counties they serve, Child Enrichment served 1,021 kids last year.
This year, that number is 1,203.
Viola-Brooke says there are more kids in foster care than advocates available, so she’s encouraging you to become a Casa volunteer.
It’s also a problem across the Savannah River in South Carolina.
In 2023, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reported opening 357 cases that included nearly 500 potential victims. Most victims were minors.
Among the counties with the highest cases, Aiken County was ranked No. 4 with 24 cases in 2023.
If you are a victim or if you see someone else who might be, you can call 1-888-373-7888. You can call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
You can get help in 200 languages.
You can also submit an online tip at humantraffickingonline.org.
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