Crime Report: Human trafficking cases up 21% in Fort Worth from last year

The latest crime report from Fort Worth police shows human trafficking cases are up more than 20% from last year.

Police say it’s the result of new efforts to bring traffickers to justice, and victim advocates are sharing how families can help protect their children from falling victim to these crimes.

In late September, 19-year-old Keith Sentmore was arrested in Fort Worth, charged with trafficking children. Police told NBC 5 they interviewed 16 possible victims of sex trafficking before rescuing one 16-year-old victim.

Fort Worth PD said this was the kind of operation they’ve been up against.

“You know, they’re running operations where they’re catching human traffickers, they’re saving kids,” said Buddy Calzada, spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department. “They’re out there on the streets and going to specific hotels running details to save lives.”

Fort Worth PD’s latest crime report showed over the first nine months of this year, human trafficking cases were up 21% compared to 2022, increasing from 19 total cases to 23.

Additionally, the report showed kidnapping cases rose by 11% from 159 cases to 177.

The department said the increase in trafficking arrests has been a result of increased focus on those crimes, with officers finding traffickers who would have otherwise continued operating.

“One of the things that can increase that trafficking number, is our vice unit,” Calzada said. “They are running specific details and have ran specific details to catch these individuals in the act before something further could happen to that child.”

For victim advocates in DFW, the rise in reported cases was concerning – but also important.

“I think a part of that increase shows that we are paying attention to the issue of trafficking, we are defining it for the community,” said Bianca Davis, CEO of New Friends, New Life.

New Friends, New Life works to provide resources to victims of human trafficking. Last year, the group helped more than 350 women and girls.

The organization told NBC 5 that the average trafficking victim in the U.S. is a 15-year-old girl. They said to help protect children from predators, parents need to know who their kids are in contact with online.

“The online grooming is really the entry point for the trafficker to groom and get the lines of communication open with an unsuspecting teen girl,” Davis said.

Their second piece of guidance: traffickers will try to convince children they’ve done something that will turn their parents against them.

New Friends, New Life said it’s critical to make sure children know they’re always safe at home.

“We encourage parents to keep that line of communication open to let their child know there is absolutely nothing that they can do that would make them turn their back on them,” Davis said.

Anyone in need of immediate help should call the National Trafficking Hotline. That number is 1-888-373-7888.