A report on Tuesday night’s newscast by Nashville TV station WSMV says that the TBI estimates that in Coffee County there have been more than 100 recent cases of minors being sold into slavery. The TBI’s conclusions come from the Tennessee Human Sex Trafficking and Its Impact on Children and Youth study which was completed by Vanderbilt University in 2011. According to the TBI, anonymous survey respondents were identified by TBI staff and only included experienced law enforcement personnel, DCS caseworkers or court clerks with the knowledge, training and experience to identify and quantify these types of cases according to the TBI. Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves, when contacted by WMSR Radio News; stated that he is aware of only 1 case of possible human trafficking in Coffee County in the recent past. Graves went on the say that he and District Attorney Mickey Layne have implored the TBI to provide details as to the survey responses so investigations could be undertaken for any possible case. To date, the TBI has provided no such information. Sheriff Graves was quick to point out that the only way to stop human trafficking is to speak up. Persons with information, or suspicions, of human trafficking such contact the Coffee County Sheriff’s office immediately. To view the report, visit the TBI website at: TBI/Vanderbilt Study link
Does Coffee County Have A Human Trafficking Problem?
