AAN is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending human trafficking in Arizona by raising awareness about exploitation and reducing demand for commercial sex.

AAN came up with CEASE, which stands for Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation. This is a training specifically designed for local government and civil servants.

Training has been rolled out in several cities across the state, and Coconino County will be the first county to hire AAN trainers to educate employees on the topic.

The standardized CEASE training is an online module already integrated into the City of Flagstaff’s existing digital training platform.

“You can train online. People can do it when they want. It’s very effective,” Clifton said.

According to Michelle Rucker, director of AAN’s CEASE program, the training is free to the city. She said the course aims to provide cities with the knowledge and tools they need to effectively combat sex trafficking and sexual exploitation in their areas.

“We know that sex trafficking occurs in every community in our state. It’s either a place or it’s not,” Rucker said. “5-10% of men either buy sex or have purchased sex in the last three years. We know there are individuals in our community who are willing to buy sex It presents an opportunity for sex traffickers to provide people to be sold and exploited.”

Clifton said the training is an important tool and an important step forward for the city.

In 2019, two Flagstaff police officers infiltrated a massage parlor, removed their pants, and allowed themselves to be sexually touched as part of an investigation into alleged human trafficking, sex trafficking, and prostitution.

Last summer, details of a massage parlor sting operation, a joint operation between Flagstaff police and the Department of Homeland Security, emerged. Phoenix television station ABC 15 first spread the story, airing a video testimony clip involving one of her undercover agents.

In August 2022, Flagstaff Police Chief Dan Musselman took non-punitive administrative leave after the police station was attacked. Criticism surfaced about the city government’s lack of transparency.

“[Human trafficking] I think it’s a topic that everyone should know about. “I think there was a little bit of transparency at the root of last summer’s problem, but it’s not necessarily by design,” Clifton said. We could have been more open about things.”

Clifton said the city is now taking a deliberate and purposeful approach to combating sex trafficking in the community. We make sure everyone on the municipal payroll is trained by experts on best practices to help victims and prevent exploitation.

“There are two things going on at the parallel track. One is to strengthen that policy. The other is this training,” he said.

According to Musselman, the Flagstaff Police Department is moving toward new policies specifically for undercover agents.

“We are working on a VICE policy that touches on human trafficking and other crimes. We looked at other policies just to get a framework, rather than starting from scratch. I feel I have,” Musselman said. “We have a draft policy. We sent it to the anti-trafficking network and got their stamp of approval.”

The police chief added that the AAN had provided comments on the draft but those comments were still under consideration.

“We will meet again to review the policy in its final form and train officers to make an impact on it,” Musselmann said.

Flagstaff police officers are required to complete the same digital CEASE training as all other city employees, including new hires. Clifton said CEASE will become a mandatory course in the city’s onboarding process.

It may seem strange that every municipal employee, from a public works plow driver to the countless desk workers at city hall, should be trained in human trafficking and sexual exploitation, but Rucker says this is the case. is an important way to deliver potentially life-saving injections. Or bring life-changing knowledge to the community.

“I’ve been in this field for nearly 10 years. It requires a community response. It’s not always the PD or the fire department people who interact with victims,” ​​Rucker said. .

She said most of the crimes related to commercial sex and sexual exploitation are hidden from view. Activities are held in most private places, such as inns.

“Approximately 79% of sex trafficking victims had contact with a hotel or motel during their experience,” says Rucker. “Because of the nature of the crime, we don’t usually ask the victim to disclose, let alone disclose it right away. is very rare.”

Victims of sex trafficking and exploitation often do not identify themselves as such.

“They may fear for their lives because of the trauma they have endured. They are more likely to have a traumatic bond with their That’s brain chemistry and how it works sometimes,” she said.

Rucker said she took a poster of the 2008 Liam Neeson film “Taken” to an in-person training session at CEASE. I mentioned.

Most people are not “snatched” or suddenly kidnapped into a life of modern slavery and sexual exploitation. A typical victim is vulnerable and encounters traffickers who slowly gain trust and exploit vulnerabilities.

“Housing insecurity, food insecurity, mental health issues, home life instability, being placed in foster care, traffickers find this person, understand their vulnerability, They are going to give them everything they need and once they are convinced they have the person under their thumb they start exploiting them for commercial sex It’s a really long operation,” Rucker said. “It’s not what you see in the movies.”

It is affection that vulnerable people crave.

“It’s based on relationships. There are traffickers grooming victims, and it begins as an exploitation of pre-existing platonic, romantic, or familial relationships. More precisely, it’s often romantic relationships. Some people may think they are dating someone.

Such experiences can be disorienting and embarrassing.

When it comes to recognizing healthy and unhealthy relationships, adolescents are often the most at risk of falling prey to traffickers because they have limited life experience, says Rucker.

“Most people who engage in prostitution start out as victims of sex trafficking as children. The average age is 14, so eighth grade is the most common entry age,” Rucker said. I was. “But it’s not just child sex trafficking victims that we have to care about. I need to make sure it’s the location.”

As such, training for all city officials can be valuable, Rucker explained.

“It’s up to us, the members of the community, to make that report. It takes all of us, and you never know when you’ll see something and be in a position to say something,” she said. “Parents, neighbors and teachers, city officials may notice signs of exploitative relationships and victimization in their daily lives.”

In addition to digital CEASE training, police officers and firefighters can also take four hours of face-to-face training with AAN.

“CEASE training is an asset. Officers need training. It’s one of the groups that most frequently interacts with people in the community who are likely victims of human trafficking,” Musselman said.

According to data provided by the FDP’s training coordinator, between 2004 and 2019, police officers received an average of one or two specialized training sessions on human trafficking or child abduction each year. Over the past two years, police officers have received 11 specialized trainings on the same topic. This includes his one in-service training on human trafficking at the Northland Family Help Center.

CEASE’s emphasis on repetition and a victim-centered approach is of value to officers, Musselman said.

“I think it’s a good refresher and it helps police officers to be more mindful when they are talking to people in the community trying to find victims. , may have more compassion and passion to help,” he added.

One of AAN’s aims is to reduce and eliminate the demand for commercial sex. Educating prospects is one of the best ways to protect potential victims, says Rucker.

“A lot of people don’t think twice. We want to be able to understand why that’s not good,” Rucker said.

Flagstaff is eligible for the CEASE City designation when 75% of City employees complete CEASE training. This officially means becoming part of a statewide network of local governments that are taking concrete action to reduce prostitution in their communities and to combat human trafficking.

“City leaders and PD leaders really want Flagstaff to become a CEASE-designated city,” Musselmann said.

The city brought in outside consultants, set up training with the AAN, and created new policies for undercover agents to move the city forward. Clifton said he wants to remain transparent and proactive.

“When something like this happens, we can look at it in different ways: waiting for it to pass, continuing business as usual, or viewing it as an opportunity to initiate the necessary changes. That’s clearly the case here,” Clifton said. “The idea is not to try to mitigate what happened a few years ago. The idea is to have good policies going forward and do it right next time.”