2014 Super Bowl Could Bring Sex Trafficking To Rockland

Rockland County is preparing for some of the illegal activities associated with the upcoming 2014 Super Bowl in East Rutherford, NJ.

“Throughout the nation experience has shown that along with the Super Bowl there is an increase of domestic minor sex trafficking in the area surrounding the event,” said Carolyn Fish, executive director of the Center for Safety & Change “As New Jersey hotels and motels fill up in February, the overflow is expected to come to Rockland County.” 

Fish and Rockland County District Attorney Tom Zugibe held the first in a series of training programs on Friday to increase awareness of the signs of domestic minor sex trafficking in Rockland as a result of the Super Bowl. They are reaching out to the tourism community, law enforcement, medical personnel and general public. The average age of children exploited through domestic minor sex trafficking is 14.

At the first session, they explained how the hospitality and tourism community should train employees of hotels, transportation companies, restaurants, bars and other businesses to recognize the signs of human trafficking. The Rockland Business Association’s Hospitality and Tourism Alliance and Best Western Nyack on Hudson hosted the program. 

Zugibe said hotel and motel staff should be on the lookout for an older male checking into a hotel with several females paying in cash; an individual with a group of guests and no luggage; similar tattoos on the accompanying females; multiple phone calls to one room from different men; drug paraphernalia and pornography in hotel rooms and numerous contraceptives in the trash can.

On September 24th, the District Attorney’s Office and Special Victims Center will sponsor a workshop for law enforcement officers at Rockland Community College (RCC). “An Overview of Super Bowl Issues and Child Sex Trafficking Awareness for Super Bowl Week and Beyond” will train officers to identify abducted and exploited children and suspects who may be high-risk threats to children. 

On October 30th, training for medical personnel, first responders, hotel and motel workers and the general public will be held at Good Samaritan Hospital entitled “Human Trafficking and the 2014 Super Bowl: What We Need to Know in Rockland County.” 

The 16th annual STOP F.E.A.R. Coalition’s Criminal Justice Conference at RCC on November 1st presents “Preparing for National Security Events:  A Perspective on Human Trafficking for Investigators and Front Line Officers.” 

Zugibe said it is critical for the local hospitality and tourism businesses to be alerted to the expected spike in human trafficking and sex crimes leading up to the Super Bowl.

“My office has made a serious commitment to prosecuting those defendants who prey upon young women who are forced into prostitution,” he said.

The Center for Safety & Change is a non-profit, grass roots organization serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and all crime victims. Its 24-hour hotline number is 845-634-3344.