Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) is partnering with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) and the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) to launch a Human Trafficking Awareness campaign. 

The initiative aims to provide educational resources and information to encourage customers and community members to identify and report human trafficking.

Human Trafficking A Community Issue

Throughout May, RTD will educate young customers, families, and community members on how to recognize and report trafficking. 

Human trafficking is a serious crime that affects people worldwide, including in Colorado. It involves severe exploitation for labor or commercial sex through force, fraud, or coercion. Victims may be forced to work long hours for little or no pay, and traffickers often take their identification, making it difficult for victims to access transportation and human services. Many survivors attempt to escape by bus, train, or by fleeing to a transit center.

As the region’s public transit provider, RTD is in a unique position to help identify and disrupt trafficking. “I value RTD’s partnerships with TAT and DATA,” says RTD GM/CEO Debra A. Johnson. “Collectively, we aim to educate employees, customers, and the general public about human trafficking while sharing resources to help eliminate it from our communities.”

Taking Steps to Fight Human Trafficking

RTD Transit Police (RTD-PD) train and certify their officers to recognize, investigate, and report human trafficking. 

RTD-PD also collaborates with the Denver Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). These agencies work together to conduct operations that better identify and assist young adults who are at risk, runaway, or victimized. They will continue to support combined efforts focused on preventing human trafficking.

Several “red flags” may indicate that an individual is a victim of trafficking. These include individuals who are not allowed to speak for themselves, whose tickets and/or ID cards are controlled by another person, and minors who do not know the person they are traveling to meet or who reference meeting “a friend from the internet.” Human trafficking groomers often target individuals who appear vulnerable to recruit victims.

The agency is urging customers and community members to review resources shared on RTD’s social media channels (RideRTD) and advertisements on RTD buses and at stations. Additionally, RTD has created a webpage dedicated to human trafficking education. 

RTD staff will also share these resources with community members during regularly scheduled outreach activities throughout the month. 

Internally, RTD employees have access to additional training resources to enhance their understanding of trafficking and learn how to help stop it.