Oakland County’s human trafficking website launching today at 2 p.m

Oakland County will be making an announcement this afternoon that affects hundreds of children in southeast Michigan.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners, health division and sheriff’s office are partnering to form a human trafficking website, which will launch at 2 p.m. Thursday. The website will increase awareness about the local impact of the issue and provide for stronger collaborations between the county, residents and community partners in working to combat human trafficking.

County and law enforcement officials, as well as other local partners, will host a press conference announcing the website inside the board’s auditorium, 1200 N. Telegraph, Bldg. 12 East, in Pontiac.

Special guests will include Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Michael Spisz, county board vice chairman, Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Health and Human Services Director Kathy Forzley and Southfield Police Chief Eric Hawkins. All six will speak at the event.

In February 2017, the board approved the allocation of $50,000 to re-establish the county’s human trafficking task force.

“This is our first step towards a wider and more comprehensive collaboration in the battle against human trafficking in Oakland County,” said Spisz, who chairs the Oakland County Human Trafficking Task Force. “We will continue to push to educate the public and to find effective ways to fight against those that promote, participate or support human trafficking in any way.”

For more information about the county’s human trafficking task force, visit oakgov.com/boc or call the board of commissioners office at (248) 858-0100.

Here’s a list of individuals and organizations that will be attending the press conference:

• Office of Senator Debbie Stabenow

• Office of Representative Mike Bishop

• Office of Representative Sandy Levin

• Office of Representative Jim Tedder

• Judge Nanci Grant

• Judge Linda Hallmark

• Judge Kathleen Ryan

• Judge Hala Jarbou (if schedule allows)

• Judge Jeffery Matis (if schedule allows)

• Auburn Hills Police Department

• Farmington Police Department

• Hazel Park Police Department

• Madison Heights Police Department

• Novi Police Department

• Oak Park Police Department

• Oakland University Police Department

• Waterford Police Department

• West Bloomfield Township Police Department

• Wixom Police Department

• Village of Milford

• Waterford Township

• CARE House of Oakland County

• Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

• Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office

• Oakland County Homeland Security Division

• FBI

• Salvation Army

• Hope Against Trafficking

• Oakland Community Health Network

• The Epik Project

• Common Ground

OAKLAND COUNTY HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE: oakgov.com/boc/Pages/Human-Trafficking-Task-Force.aspx

MICHIGAN HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE: mhttf.org/

STATE OF MICHIGAN HUMAN TRAFFICKING WEBSITE: michigan.gov/msp/0,4643,7-123-72297_34040_75047---,00.html

OAKLAND COUNTY CREATES HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE: theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20170216/county-board-approves-re-establishment-of-human-trafficking-task-force

POLICE AGENCIES RECOVER 84 CHILDREN: theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20171019/police-agencies-in-oakland-county-among-those-involved-in-busting-child-sex-trafficking-ring-84-kids-recovered