Building a Better Response to Human Trafficking in Nevada

A Human Problem, Not Just a Criminal One

Nevada has long struggled to effectively address human trafficking. Despite the creation of task forces, legislation, training, and grant programs, we remain ranked among the highest per capita for trafficking cases in the country. It is time to stop tweaking a broken playbook and write a new one.

That is the goal behind Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 (SCR3), the first step in a multi-year initiative to conduct a full statewide study, identify structural failures, and improve the Human Trafficking Coalition so that it can actually deliver care, support, and accountability.

This project is being led by myself and some core strategic partners and is based on decades of experience in law enforcement, investigations, and policy planning. But more than that, it is based on lived experience and seeing what works, what does not, and recognizing what falls through the cracks.

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What Drives This Work

This effort is personal. Early in my career, I saw how the system handled crimes against women, children and vulnerable people. Most of the time, it was treated as an administrative burden, something to document, not something to fix. I did not like handling those cases either, but I hated watching people give up on doing what was right. So I stepped into the space and never left, even after I have retired from law enforcement.

I have worked some of the worst cases imaginable. From federal investigations into international trafficking rings to homicide cases involving sexual assault, domestic violence, and torture. One of the hardest lessons I learned came after a conviction in a brutal sex assault case. We got multiple life sentences for the offender, but after the conviction, the victim took her own life. That case changed me permanently. I realized that prosecution alone is not the answer. If we do not address the full spectrum of survivor needs before, during, and after the legal process, we are not truly helping.

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Why This Initiative Is Different

This is not a campaign to secure a job or position. My role is to complete this effort, help guide the statewide study, develop the public and private partnership model, and establish the advisory board. Once that framework is in place, I want to step away so that the entity created carries on the work.  The long-term work must be led by the board and the stakeholders who will continue shaping Nevada’s future response not one individual.

I have made this public and transparent because I want to avoid misunderstandings. The State does not currently have the funds to fully support this work, and private support is what has carried it this far. However, the solution itself will not be built on endless private funding. The plan includes the financial considerations such as:

• Shared cost modeling between the State and advisory board.

• Long term financial planning with self-sustaining mechanisms.

• A path to reduce dependency on private funding over time.

 

We are not building another temporary task force. We are designing a long-term, accountable system, and that means designing it to survive politically and financially.

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What SCR3 Will Accomplish

SCR3 passed in June 2025 with bipartisan support. It tasks Nevada’s Interim Judiciary Committee with a formal study of the State’s trafficking response. Our work in 2025 through 2027 focuses on:

• Reviewing the Nevada Human Trafficking Coalition and why it stalled.

• Identifying legal and victim service gaps.

• Proposing mandatory reporting improvements.

• Leveraging domestic violence and sexual assault frameworks.

• Building the public and private advisory board with clear oversight.

• Designing financial models to ensure sustainability.

 

We are already in motion. MOUs are being developed, partner engagement is underway, and academic research planning is set to launch soon while we wait for the Interim Committee of the Judiciary to be seated.

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How You Can Help

This effort needs more than just legislation and some of the needed corrections or improvements do not require a legislative process. It needs people who believe in building a better system, think outside of the box and are willing to help it take root.

We are seeking:

• Funding partners to support ongoing planning and research.

• Professionals and organizations willing to participate in the advisory board.

• Survivors and advocates who can help shape priorities from lived experience.

• Law enforcement, nonprofit, and legal allies interested in replicating this model in other states.

 

This is a critical moment for Nevada, and it may serve as a model for others facing the same challenges.

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Contact Us

To learn more, offer support, or join this growing coalition please reach out.  Together we are stronger.