DETROIT (WXYZ) — "You see the fear in their eyes. Especially, the younger girls. You can see they're afraid,” said George Hilliard, a trucker.
Hilliard has been trucking since the 1960’s and after a lifetime on the road — he's learned to trust his gut.
He's says he has reported suspected trafficking when he's felt something was off.
“You've gone up to troopers and said hey something doesn't look right?” 7 Action News asked Hilliard.
“Yea, man. You tell 'em, man. Especially, young girls. Man, they're afraid,” he said. “They're away from home. They don't know how to get back home. They don’t have transportation or who they're going to call."
The United States government estimates there are 27.6 million trafficking victims worldwide at any given time.
"You really just feel sorry for them. A lot of those people are in situations that they don't have any control or their decision to do it,” said Karlton Mitchell, a trucker.
Mitchell has been a truck driver for 18 years and has seen it all.
“What kind of red flags do you see when you do come across these folks?” 7 Action News asked.
“Older guys, younger girls. There might be older women with no ID on them,” Mitchell revealed.
"It's happening and it's all around us,” Ofc. Mahir Hadzioc with Michigan State Police said.
All week, MSP motor carrier officers like officer Hadzioc are teaming up with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to educate drivers. They're especially focusing on people who are in a position to see human trafficking happening – like truck drivers and rest stop workers.
"We don't expect the trucking industry or the regular citizens, if they see something, to go interfere,” Ofc. Hadzioc said.
But they do want them to be able to recognize the signs, such as:
- Evidence of beign controlled
- Lack of documentation, identification or money
- Signs of sexual or physical abuse
- Do not know what city they are in or where they have been
“They see it, they recognize it and hopefully will make the phone call to save someones life,” Hadzioc said.
