On Wednesday, October 9, the Bellevue Police Department and Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) will hold a training seminar with Bellevue’s hospitality community about how they can prevent human trafficking incidents across the city.
The free training will occur at Bellevue City Hall’s Council Chambers from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and will provide a unique opportunity for Bellevue hotel owners, operators, and their staff to learn from experts who specialize in stopping the crime of human trafficking. This special training will share helpful information about the indicators of human trafficking in hotels, and it will provide information about local human trafficking prevention efforts.
For media wishing to attend the training on October 9, please email an RSVP to Drew Anderson at daanderson@bellevuewa.gov.
“Human trafficking is a crime and unfortunately does happen in communities like Bellevue. That’s why Bellevue Police – from its officers to its Human Trafficking Unit – dedicates extensive resources for effective training practices on how to spot trafficking publicly and hold accountable those for conducting what are horrible crimes on another individual,” said Wendell Shirley, Chief of Police for the Bellevue Police Department. “With this training, we’re asking the public and some of the community’s biggest stakeholders to learn more about these crimes and immediately call law enforcement should they suspect trafficking. The quicker we can hold these criminals accountable, the quicker we can save lives in the process.”
“This training will shine a light on the problem of human trafficking in lodging facilities. Hospitality employees will receive practical information that can be used to help them know how to recognize and safely report human trafficking activity in their facility,” said Kirsten Foot, Ph.D., CEO and Executive Director for BEST. “We are pleased to work with the City of Bellevue Human Service Program and the Bellevue Police Department to help counter human trafficking.”
Part I of the training will include BEST’s Inhospitable to Human Trafficking course. Training participants will learn what human trafficking is, how human trafficking impacts the hospitality industry, and what to do if hospitality staff observe a potential human trafficking situation in their hotel.
Part II of the training will include a presentation about recent local cases of human trafficking from the Bellevue Police Department. This event will wrap up with a question-and-answer session where hoteliers will have an opportunity to anonymously submit any questions they have about human trafficking or specific situations that have happened at their properties. Attendees will receive a certificate of completion for training to prevent human trafficking in the hospitality industry.
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