Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced a new anti-human trafficking partnership between his office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on Monday.
Alabama Combats Trafficking is a statewide initiative aimed at providing Alabama businesses with information on how to recognize and report trafficking.
The program has invited businesses across the state to apply to be ACT partners.
Program partners will receive information from the secretary of state, which Allen’s office said “will save lives with tips on identifying and stopping trafficking.” Participating businesses will also be listed as ACT partners on the secretary of state’s website and receive an ACT partner decal to be displayed in their business.
“The Alabama Combats Trafficking program provides citizens with the opportunity that could assist with spotting and reporting cases of human trafficking,” Allen said. “We are bringing the fight against human trafficking to the forefront of minds and hearts across our state.”
“I am encouraging all Alabama businesses to participate in this important initiative and encourage all Alabamians to share the ACT website and flyer on their social media,” he continued.
“This initiative aims to engage the public. It aims to engage Alabama businesses and bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking,” the secretary of state said. “We want to provide tools and information where Alabama businesses can help identify potential signs of human trafficking taking place inside the state.”
Allen, in a video posted on X announcing the initiative, thanked ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor for acting as a partner in the project.
While Allen’s office and ALEA have not described the role ALEA will play in ACT, Taylor expressed hope the program will help law enforcement identify and stop instances of human trafficking.
“The ACT initiative will raise awareness about the hidden crime of human trafficking. When the public knows the signs and stays vigilant, they become powerful partners in helping law enforcement identify victims and stop traffickers,” Taylor said.
The Alabama District Attorneys Association and Alabama Sheriffs Association Executive Director Huey “Hoss” Mack have also endorsed the program.
“The Alabama District Attorneys Association strongly supports the efforts of the Secretary of State and ALEA to raise awareness of the signs of human trafficking. Greater awareness leads to increased reporting, allowing prosecutors and law enforcement to hold those who commit these crimes accountable,” said St. Clair County District Attorney Lyle Harmon.
“The Alabama Sheriffs Association is proud of the partnership with the Secretary of State Wes Allen on the ACT program. Human trafficking comes in many forms. It has been witnessed in the state of Alabama just over the past few weeks,” Mack said. “This provides another valuable tool to address this most dangerous issue in all of our communities in the state.”
Mack also urged Alabama businesses to participate in the program.
“One phone call may save many lives,” he said.
ACT’s founding follows a criminal investigation last month, which led to multiple arrests for sexual abuse and human trafficking in Bibb County. Eight suspects have currently been arrested and charged in connection with the investigation.
Alongside the secretary of state’s anti-trafficking initiative, the Bibb County case has sparked renewed calls from lawmakers, including state Senator April Weaver, R-Brierfield, and state Representative Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, to allow the death penalty for convicted child rapists.
ACT’s page on the secretary of state’s site provides resources for reporting a suspected case of human trafficking, including contact information for the National Human Trafficking Hotline and the ALEA State Bureau of Investigation Crime Hotline.
The page cites that victims of human trafficking “can be of any age, race, ethnicity, sex, nationality, immigration status, cultural background, religion, socio-economic class, and education attainment level,” and provides potential indicators that someone may be a victim of trafficking.
Currently, ACT lists its program partners as the Alabama Council of Association Executives, the Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Association, Alabama Retail Association, the Junior League of Birmingham and Alabama’s chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business.
