Freedom Network co-chair Amy Fleischauer recently attended the Blue Campaign’s 5th anniversary event, strengthening the partnerships between government and law enforcement, private and public organizations. The Blue Campaign is presented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in efforts to create a unified front to combat human trafficking. Through the Blue Campaign, the DHS offers trainings to law enforcement, first responders, educators, and others to improve detection and investigation of human trafficking, and to protect victims by bringing suspected traffickers to the justice system efficiently.
“The most exciting aspect of the event was the opportunity to share FN’ on the ground concerns about DHS processes and procedures directly with Blue Campaign leaders and underscore our commitment to partnering with them to improve support and safety for survivors.”
The event featured the following break-out sessions, inviting experts like Amy to share their expertise and experiences in collaboration for the success of the Blue Campaign:
- Private Sector Outreach: Expanding collaboration with private sector to focus on prevention
- Law Enforcement Training: Development and targeting of training materials
- Public Awareness: Impacts of the awareness campaign and future plans
- Research and Technology: How to best utilize research and technologies
- Interagency Collaboration: How to best support interagency partners in achieving common goals
In Amy’s attendance of the Law Enforcement training session, she participated with facilitators Scot Santoro and Sharon Peyus of HSI, regarding current training gaps and best practices regarding training methods. Amy was able to share many of the ideas and suggestions that Freedom Network has identified as on-the-ground practices that clearly identify a need for increased training.
Amy notes that while sharing her expertise in the Law Enforcement Training break-out session, there is also much knowledge that Freedom Network can impart in each of the five brainstorming session areas. The policy committee and social services committee are collaborating to create a document for DHS with additional information and recommendations for future success.
The Blue Campaign is a unified effort between various components of DHS including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).
The anniversary event, hosted on July 22, 2015 marked a five-year collective effort to end human trafficking in the United States. The event focused on previous successes, including training of more than 10,000 state, local and campus law enforcement professionals, over 2.000 foreign law enforcement partners and approximately 50,000 airline employees.
Information on human trafficking has been displayed throughout the country through a nationwide awareness campaign in 13 major U.S. airports, on highways, and at large-scale events like the Superbowl. The event not only recognized these successes, but provided opportunity for discussion of next steps and connections for strengthening cross-sector partnerships.