Credit WAMC. Listen Listening Local law enforcement in Massachusetts has launched a multi-agency effort to crack down on human trafficking in Springfield with the emphasis on reducing demand for sexual exploitation. Law enforcement increasingly is focused on treating prostitutes as victims with an emphasis on providing substance abuse and mental health treatment, while pursuing more aggressively people who profit from prostitution and those who choose to solicit.
So, think twice and don't do it. Since it was introduced by the Worcester Police Department in , men have completed the class and none have been arrested again for soliciting sex, according to program director Maureen Casey.
The classes include presentations about sexually transmitted diseases, the impact prostitution has on neighborhoods and stories from survivors of sexual exploitation. As another part of the initiative to deter people from soliciting to purchase sex, Mayor Domenic Sarno said the city will publicize arrests on social media and in the local newspaper. Cases of infants dying in their sleep are on the increase nationally. The top law enforcement officer in one western Massachusetts county is joining with public health officials to urge new parents to follow the guidance for proper sleeping arrangements for children under 12 months.
More than a ton of prescription medications have been safely disposed of since a drug takeback program started in western Massachusetts ten months ago. More than law enforcement officers from throughout New England are expected in Springfield, Massachusetts tomorrow to discuss strategies for combating gangs, drug dealing, and human trafficking.
Related Program:. Share Tweet Email. Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi. Springfield crime.
