The NATSO Foundation is inviting NATSO members to join the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota Trucking Association and Truckers Against Trafficking April 17 for a regional meeting in St. Paul, Minn., aimed at coordinating ways to fight human trafficking within the state.
This private event is scheduled to be held April 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul.
NATSO members with locations in Minnesota are encouraged to attend this event, which is co-sponsored by the NATSO Foundation. All travel plazas and truckstops are invited to attend, regardless of NATSO membership.
Since 2013, NATSO has co-sponsored regional Coalition Builds with Truckers Against Trafficking, state trucking associations and law enforcement.
State coalition meetings provide an opportunity to educate members of the business community, transportation and law enforcement about human trafficking as well as serve as an open forum to discuss human trafficking trends in regional areas and to explore collective ways to combat this crime.
For nearly seven years, the NATSO Foundation has been helping members of the truckstop and travel plaza community engage in the fight against human trafficking. Our goal is to provide our members with the tools they need to train their staff so that those individuals are equipped to help if they encounter a victim of this horrible crime.
NATSO works closely with the Department of Transportation, Polaris Project, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Truckers Against Trafficking and other local organizations to gain insight into best practices on how to educate our members.
In 2017, the NATSO Foundation partnered with the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign to provide the industry with awareness materials and enhance the Foundation’s educational resources.
In January, NATSO Foundation President and CEO Lisa Mullings briefed the House Committee on Homeland Security about the vital role that the truckstop industry plays in combating human trafficking.
NATSO members are encouraged to train their employees in how to recognize and respond to suspected incidents of human trafficking using the NATSO Foundation’s online course, "The Role of Truckstops in Combating Human Trafficking." The course is free to anyone in the truckstop and travel plaza community. Non-NATSO members should call Kimberly Roberts at 703-739-8573 or kroberts@natso.com to establish an account.
Truckstops seeking additional information regarding the April 17 coalition meeting or who would like to learn about future coalition meeting locations should contact Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman at 703-739-8578 or twlazlowski@natso.com.
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