In recent years, the term “human trafficking” has garnered a considerable amount of attention across a variety of spaces. Law enforcement agencies across the United States have started to make it more of a priority. News stations have started to cover how prevalent human trafficking is in their respective cities. Hundreds of nonprofit organizations have emerged to support victims, and the general public has become increasingly informed. All of this is also true on a micro-scale in Tennessee. Understanding the history of the counter–human trafficking effort in Tennessee, the history of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Human Trafficking Unit (HTU), and TBI’s recent experiences with a Venezuelan gang involved in trafficking humans may provide other agencies with insight into a potentially effective model for countering such an important problem in society.

Origin of the Counter–Human Trafficking Initiative in Tennessee

In 2010, the Tennessee State General Assembly passed Public Chapter No. 1023. This bill called for a comprehensive overview of human sex trafficking in Tennessee, the laws regarding it, and victim assistance programs. To accomplish this, the TBI partnered with the Vanderbilt Center for Community Studies, and in 2011, the multistage study was conducted.

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