Washington, DC - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) will begin to provide human trafficking awareness training as part of basic training courses at FLETC. The courses, which train federal law enforcement officers and agents from every Cabinet level Department, will equip graduates with the ability to better recognize signs of human trafficking that they might encounter in their routine law enforcement duties.

“To fight human trafficking in the United States, we are empowering federal law enforcement with the tools and resources to recognize and report this heinous crime,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “I commend the leadership and all of the women and men of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers who had the insight and innovation to incorporate human trafficking training into their curriculum.”

“We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe,” said FLETC Director Connie Patrick. “Through these new training curriculum taught as part of our basic training academies, thousands of frontline federal law enforcement personnel will be able to recognize and help those who are victims of this heinous crime.”

Today’s announcement, as part of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month, is one of the numerous ways the Department is working to end human trafficking and continue to bring awareness to this terrible crime. Through the DHS Blue Campaign, the unified voice for DHS’s efforts to combat human trafficking, the Department works in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations, to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who exploit human lives to justice.

For more information about the Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking, visit the Blue Campaign’s website at www.dhs.gov/bluecampaign.