The cook county states attorney office (SAO), the salvation armys stop-IT program (stop-IT), and the U.S. Attorney's office will continue to work in cook county and northern IL to support a…

This $661,061 Cooperative Agreement award, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) under the Services for Trafficking Victims program (CFDA 16.320), supports a multi-disciplinary task force approach to combat human trafficking in Cook County, Illinois and Northern Illinois. The primary awardee, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office (CCSAO), collaborates with the Salvation Army's STOP-IT program and the U.S. Attorney's Office to develop, sustain, and strengthen effective task force leadership, structure, and coordination of anti-trafficking efforts. Key objectives include implementing victim-centered, trauma-informed protocols; investigating and prosecuting both sex and labor trafficking cases; assisting trafficking victims in achieving safety, independence, and well-being; and formally engaging community members to address labor trafficking. The project period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

The cook county states attorney office (SAO), the salvation armys stop-IT program (stop-IT), and the U.S. Attorney's office will continue to work in cook county and northern IL to support a sustainable, long-term, multidisciplinary task force approach to combat human trafficking. They will develop, sustain, and strengthen effective task force leadership, structure, and coordination of multidisciplinary human trafficking task force partnerships and activities; develop, implement, or revise written protocols to guide task force functions and identify and serve victims of all types of human trafficking; collect data and conduct ongoing assessment to determine if the program is meeting goals and objectives; implement victim-centered, trauma-informed, and collaborative approaches through development and consistent implementation of task force protocols and training; investigate, refer, and prosecute both SEX and labor trafficking cases at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels; assist all trafficking victims in achieving increased safety, independence, self-sufficiency and well-being through the provision of appropriate services; identify and serve survivors of human trafficking; and actively involve all task force partners in planning and executing proactive investigations and prosecutions. The task force is led by the core team, supported by a law enforcement working group, and the victim services, training, labor trafficking, healthcare, lgbtq, and gate (survivor leader) subcommittees. This funding will allow the task force to firmly establish the gate subcommittee. The task force plans to review and update task force processes, protocols, trainings, services, and the number of proactive investigations during the next project period. The task force will also seek to formalize participation of community members interested in addressing labor trafficking.