Sponsor: County Attorney's Office
Title
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Joint Powers Agreement with Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
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Recommendation
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1. Approve the Joint Powers Agreement with the State of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, 1430 Maryland Ave E, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55106, to participate in the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force for the period of five years from the effective date of the agreement in the amount of $83,733.
2. Authorize the Chair and Chief Clerk to execute the agreement.
3. Authorize the County Manager to approve and execute amendments to the agreement to extend the term of this agreement and accept additional funding during the term of this agreement with all other terms and conditions remaining the same, in a form approved by the County Attorney’s Office.
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Background and Rationale
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Since the passage of the 2011 Safe Harbor laws, Minnesota law enforcement and prosecutors have worked to improve the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of youth. The Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force was formed so law enforcement and prosecutors could collaborate together with the goal of improving investigations that lead to more successful prosecution of those who engage in sex trafficking and exploitation of youth. During 2018 and 2019, member agencies of the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force were provided grant funding to participate in task force activities. In 2020 after funding was awarded to continue the work of the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension entered into Joint Powers Agreements with each partnering governmental unit for a five year term as additional funding was expected to be provided to maintain the efforts of the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force beyond the initial amount of funds awarded for 2020 and 2021. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is requesting partnering governmental units to enter into a second Joint Powers Agreement for another five year term with the same expectation that additional funding will be provided to the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force.
Participation in the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force enables the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office to continue the work to improve investigations and prosecution of those engaged in human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. For fiscal year 2018 the Office of the Administration for Children & Families Office on Trafficking in Persons reported that human trafficking is a public health issue that impacts individuals, families, and communities. Traffickers disproportionately target at-risk populations including individuals who have experienced or been exposed to other forms of violence (child abuse and maltreatment, interpersonal violence and sexual assault, community and gang violence) and individuals disconnected from stable support networks (runaway and homeless youth, unaccompanied minors, persons displaced during natural disasters). Human traffickers often prey on individuals who are poor, frequently unemployed or underemployed, and who may lack access to social safety nets.
Since the passage of the 2011 Safe Harbor law, Minnesota has steadily increased its investment in combatting sex trafficking and it has paid off as many more cases are being identified, investigated, and successfully prosecuted than ever before. To more effectively and efficiently combat trafficking in Minnesota, the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force was established to be a coordinated, multi-jurisdictional effort to increase investigative and prosecutorial capacity and support for regional multi-jurisdictional task forces statewide. The collaborative efforts through the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force remain essential to combatting human trafficking as these cases do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. These cases are technology-intensive, drawing on a vast array of potential sources of intelligence, and they can take tremendous time and effort. Since 2020, the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force has brought together the most experienced agencies in Minnesota and applied their expertise to cases throughout the state. The execution of the second Joint Powers Agreement for the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force enables all the partnering governmental agencies to continue the work of the task force for another five years and will continue to receive funding for their participation in the task force.
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County Goals (Check those advanced by Action)
☒ Well-being ☐ Prosperity ☐ Opportunity ☒ Accountability
Racial Equity Impact
Victims of sex trafficking in Minnesota are disproportionately people of color. In fact, the most recent evaluation report <https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/humantrafficking/documents/2023safeharboreval.pdf> of Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Initiative cites a statewide figure of 62% of those victims served by regional navigators were people of color. Of the 1,649 persons receiving housing and supportive services, 40% were in the Twin Cities Metro Area with the remainder scattered throughout the State of Minnesota. Additionally, the 2024 Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention and Response <https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/humantrafficking/documents/hthandout.pdf> states that, while anyone can be a trafficking victim, factors such as socioeconomic status, homelessness, race and LGBTQ status play a significant factor in those falling victim to traffickers.
Community Participation Level and Impact
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office is committed to actively partnering with law enforcement and other prosecutors to help improve investigations and prosecutions on human trafficking cases in Minnesota. For many years now, Ramsey County has worked to use the Task Force’s data-driven, subject matter expertise and state-wide collaboration of law enforcement and prosecutor offices to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children throughout Minnesota.
☒ Inform ☐ Consult ☐ Involve ☐ Collaborate ☐ Empower
Fiscal Impact
The Joint Powers Agreement will provide $83,733 in funding to the 2025 operating budget to continue to dedicate a prosecutor to work with the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force for the first year of the Joint Powers Agreement’s five-year term.
Last Previous Action
On March 10, 2020, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners approved the Joint Powers Agreement with the State of Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to participate in the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force (Resolution B2020-053).
Attachments
1. Joint Powers Agreement