The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) joined the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking to host an educational event Nov. 19 at the agency’s Louis Stokes Station at Windermere in East Cleveland. During the three-hour program, speakers from the seven participating organizations provided information for the public about human trafficking and how people can help each other.

East Cleveland Mayor and GCRTA Board Member Gary Norton addressed the program, along with representatives of police forces and social service and community agencies that provide resources for victims.

GCRTA is participating in an effort spearheaded by DOT to combat human trafficking, which includes industry leadership, education and training, public awareness, policy development, and information sharing and analysis. APTA is also
part of the Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking Initiative.

As part of this effort, GCRTA is conducting awareness training for more than 2,100 employees on recognizing and reporting the signs of human trafficking. More than 100 transit police officers have been trained in spotting indicators of human trafficking, such as people who do not have identification, those who have been coached in talking to police officers, or those who are
under the control of another person in a public place.

During GCRTA’s human trafficking awareness event, Transit Police Investigator Rhonda Briskey creates an identification card for an area child. The Transit Police created 32 of the child ID cards during the program.