TABC taps alcohol distributors to help fight human trafficking at bars, restaurants, liquor stores

 

Source: https://www.dallasnews.com/

Karen Robinson-Jacobs, Hospitality/Leisure Industry Reporter

February 8th

 

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission wants alcohol delivery people to be on the lookout for signs of human trafficking in TABC-licensed bars, restaurants and liquor stores.

 

This week, the department launched a program to train employees of alcohol distributors to identify warning signs of human trafficking and report those signs to the TABC anonymously. TABC law enforcement personnel will investigate.

 

The move comes as the state is stepping up its public outreach to combat human trafficking, a crime in which Texas, and particularly Houston, play outsized roles.

 

“There are a number of human trafficking warning signs beyond just those visible in a public area,” of an establishment, said TABC spokesman Chris Porter.

 

“For example, sleeping or living areas which shouldn’t be present in the back portion of a business, locked or padlocked doors that seem out of place, owners who might restrict a delivery employee’s access to areas where they would otherwise be allowed to go.”

 

Figures from the U.S. State Department show that 20 percent of the estimated 17,500 human trafficking victims brought into the United States annually are being held in Texas. Each year from 2012 through June of last year (the most recent data available), Texas ranked behind only California in cases documents by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline.

 

While the Bud Light delivery guys may seem unlikely crime fighters, Porter and an industry official explained that because of their regular access to thousands of businesses in the state, they’re in a good position to notice something off-kilter.

 

Some delivery people are in businesses that sell alcohol on almost a daily basis, said Tom Spilman, executive vice president of the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas.

 

“Wholesale employees are a constant presence in all these retail establishments,” said Spilman. “They may be a help in spotting some things that are going on in these establishments.”

 

Whether the program will be effective, “only time will tell,” he said. “Adding another tool is never a bad thing.”

 

The program begins this week with training for two of Austin’s largest distributors: Brown Distributing and Capitol Wright Distributing. The program will expand across the state -home to more than 52,000 licensed alcohol retailers – throughout 2018. No time has been announced for when the training will come to North Texas.

 

For 2018, the training will be voluntary.

 

“Any industry member who wishes to receive the training can contact their local TABC office,” A. Bentley Nettles, TABC executive director, said in a statement.

 

Next year, however, the commission will seek a rule change that would make the training mandatory for anyone who applies for an Agent’s Permit within Texas.

 

The program also includes a social media campaign using the hashtag #NotInTX, which launches today.

 

Porter said TABC has long played a leading role in fighting human trafficking in Texas.

 

In 2004 and 2005, a joint investigation involving TABC and the FBI resulted in the rescue of nearly 120 women and girls who had been enslaved and forced into prostitution in the Houston area, the location of more than 11,000 active alcohol permits.

 

Other operations statewide have resulted in the cancellation of more than 100 permits with ties to organized crime, including narcotics trafficking, drink solicitation and other violations frequently tied to human trafficking, Porter said.

 

“At the moment, we have multiple investigations ongoing and are part of several joint operations and task forces with organizations such as the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DPS, the Texas Rangers and local law enforcement organizations,”  he added.

 

The new campaign is “merely intended to encourage the public to keep an eye out for the warning signs of human trafficking inside TABC-licensed premises such as bars or nightclubs, and to report any suspicious activity,” he said. Also, “we’re working with our partners in the [distribution] industry to empower their employees to report any illegal activity as well.

 

“Partnering with the industry effectively serves as a force multiplier which enables us to have eyes and ears in places where we currently aren’t already operating,” he said. “So far, this campaign has had a great reception among the industry members, and we’re looking forward to growing it further throughout 2018.”

 

The program launches in the same week Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled a wide-ranging new initiative to combat human trafficking and sexual misconduct. That effort, announced during a campaign stop,  includes a proposed $39 million in state funding for issues ranging from combating sexual misconduct by state employees to increased punishment for human trafficking, including the creation of a new unit to pursue these crimes.

 

And later this month, State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, will host a North Texas Conference on Human Trafficking. That event is planned for 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 24 at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in the Arts District, 2501 Flora St.

 

The TABC program also comes as the hospitality industry is increasingly being held accountable for the crimes that occur within smartly decorated restaurants, bars  and hotel rooms.

 

Earlier this year, attorneys filed an 82-page lawsuit on behalf of a human trafficking victim who, beginning before her 16th birthday, was “sexually exploited” through the use of websites and at hotels.

 

The suit listed more than 20 defendants including Choice Hotels, which operates the Quality Inn brand and Hyatt hotels, one of the largest hotel companies in the nation. Choice could not be reached for comment Thursday.

 

Hyatt declined to comment on the suit specifically but said it has “long taken an aggressive stance on identifying and working to prevent human trafficking, including sex and labor trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children, within our sphere of influence.”

 

Annie McAdams, one of the attorneys who filed the case, said she applauds the TABC effort but fears that real change will only come through the civil justice system bringing “fines, penalties, jury verdicts.”

 

She said she plans to file another suit, on behalf of Jane Doe No. 2, next week in Houston. A key plaintiff will be a “nationwide” hotel chain.  A later case will be filed in North Texas, she said.

 

“This has been going on for too long,” she said. “The best message we can send is through this action. There’s going to be a thousand [suits] if that’s what it takes. We’re just going to continue to file.”

 

She said she was not aware of a civil case against a hotel that had resulted in a court-imposed penalty.

 

Last year, Carrollton-based Motel 6 agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Los Angeles that alleged one of the chain’s locations was a base for human traffickers, drug dealers and gang members, prosecutors said.

 

Human trafficking most often involves victims being forced into labor or prostitution.

 

In many cases, victims are foreign nationals who are told they’ll receive assistance entering the United States, only to be sent into forced labor or sex work once they arrive. Victims include adults and children, and may sometimes be held at a TABC-licensed business serving as a front for the illegal activity.

 

“Human trafficking is nothing more than modern-day slavery, and it has no place in Texas,” TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly said in a statement. “Our goal is nothing less than the complete eradication of human trafficking at TABC-licensed businesses, and we’re thankful for the many members of the alcoholic beverage industry who are joining us for this mission.”