Sex Trafficking Report Findings 3 1 18

March 1, 2018 Eloise Anderson Secretary Wisconsin Department of Children and Families 201 East Washington Avenue, Second Floor P.O. Box 8916 Madison, WI 53703 Chris Abele County Executive Milwaukee County Milwaukee County Courthouse 901 N. 9th Street, Room 306 Milwaukee, WI 53233 Brad Schimel Attorney General Wisconsin Department of Justice P.O. Box 7857 Madison, WI 53707 Maxine White Chief Judge Milwaukee County Courts 901 N. 9th Street, Room 609 Milwaukee, WI 53233 John Chisholm District Attorney Milwaukee County District Attorney 821 W. State Street Milwaukee, WI 53233 Alfonso Morales Chief of Police Milwaukee Police Department 749 W. State Street Milwaukee, WI 53233 Dear Colleagues: I’m writing to you today to express my concerns with the findings and recommendations contained in the report “Estimating the Magnitude of Sex Trafficking Risk and Victimization of Juveniles and Young Adults, City of Milwaukee 1/01/2013 through 12/31/2016.” The report, issued today by the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission, Rethink Resources, Medical College of Wisconsin Institute for Health and Equity, Milwaukee Sexual Assault Review and the Milwaukee Police Department – Sensitive Crimes Division, identified 340 individuals who were confirmed or believed to have been sex trafficked. Of that group, 231 individuals were analyzed for the report. The majority of the individuals identified were female (97%), almost two-thirds African American and one fourth White and about half (49%) were between the ages of 14 and 17 at the time of their first reported incident of sex trafficking. In 2013, 31 individuals were confirmed to have been trafficked, 59 confirmed in 2014, 55 in 2015 and, in 2016, 76 individuals were confirmed to have been trafficked. The numbers alone are sobering but the narrative on group homes is most concerning and, frankly, disturbing. Given the feedback from law enforcement, medical systems, child welfare advocates and interviews with individuals from group homes, addressing the issues related to sex trafficking and group homes was a priority for all parties. As a result, there are seven recommendations directly tied to group homes. In addition, there are recommendations addressing prevention and support, training for law enforcement professionals and service providers, enforcement and charging of laws, and legislative action. I have asked the Homicide Review Commission and the Medical College of Wisconsin to convene a meeting so we can (1) get a full review of the report’s findings and recommendations and (2) launch the process of implementing the necessary reforms and strategies to tackle sex trafficking in Milwaukee. I have also asked that the community partners engaged in the report, Children’s Hospital’s Proactive Outreach for the Health of Sexually Exploited Youth (POHSEY), the Collaborative Rapid Advocacy for Youth (CRAY) and the City’s Office of Violence Prevention and its Commission on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault be included. I trust that we all agree the issue of sex trafficking as well as the related system issues require our collective attention and action. I look forward to our meeting and working with all of you. Sincerely, Tom Barrett Mayor Cc: Mark Mertens Reggie Moore Patricia McManus Ashanti Hamilton Mallory O’Brien