Now, as the Santa Maria Sun, Noozhawk, Edhat and KSBY report, the DA and Sheriff have received a $1.3 million US Department of Justice grant to fight human trafficking: helping victims, prosecuting offenders, and ending the cycle of exploitation. The grant will improve critical services for both adult and minor domestic and international trafficking victims, including:
- helping local law enforcement investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases
- helping the DA Victim-Witness Assistance Program ensure that victim and rape crisis services are available 24/7
- enabling the Task Force to build on its efforts to collect, share and analyze data in order to make data-driven decisions and improvements.
In a press release, District Attorney Joyce Dudley hailed the grant award and called the Task Force "a model of collaboration... [that] has implemented nationally-recognized intervention strategies."
