Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa rolls out mobile command center for human trafficking cases

Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa are revolutionizing the way they investigate human trafficking cases.

HSI said human trafficking is a crime that’s hidden in plain sight and can be difficult to spot.

"Time is often not on our side," Supervisory Special Agent Matthew Brooks with HSI Tampa said.

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HSI's new mobile command center

What we know:

Special agents in Tampa are rolling out a mobile command center. The unit can travel to scenes, and an investigation that might otherwise take days, could instead take hours.

"We can use it for human trafficking investigations, child exploitation investigations," Brooks said.

Brooks said the van is equipped with technology to process evidence from cell phones, computers and other devices, which are the sources of a lot of evidence in human trafficking investigations.

"It can be used to do interviews if we need to," Brooks said. "It can also be used as a safe space for victims that we may recover."

Pictured: HSI's new mobile command center

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Investigating human trafficking

By the numbers:

HSI said, in 2024, it initiated almost 7,000 human trafficking cases nationwide. The agency made almost 5,000 arrests and reached almost 2,000 convictions.

Dig deeper:

Special agents said human trafficking is an involuntary crime that’s ever-evolving.

"It's in all aspects of daily life, through social media, down to the local hotel or restaurant," Asst. Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs with HSI said.

HSI investigates cases that involve different types of human trafficking, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking and human smuggling.

Investigating these crimes takes time, resources and manpower.

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"Where we see the biggest gap in this fight is funding for the local and state law enforcement agencies," Bryan Weight, the COO of Operation Lightshine, said. 

‘Operation Lightshine’

Operation Lightshine works independently to connect local law enforcement agencies across Florida with vehicles, technology, funding and other resources to target human trafficking.

Pictured: Inside HSI's new mobile command center. 

"A lot of people view trafficking as, you know, bad guy, black trench coat, white van pulls up, takes your kids, throw them in a car," Weight said.

Weight said human trafficking can happen at high-traffic events, or in one-on-one exchanges through a cell phone or social media.

"It's not just like finding somebody that sells drugs, right," Weight said. "It's very easy to see it, right? Trafficking, there's force, fraud or coercion."

Operation Lightshine also created the Inter-agency Child Exploitation And Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT) to help connect law enforcement agencies with the resources it needs to investigate these cases.

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Why you should care:

The organization also focuses on prevention efforts through educating children and families about the signs of human trafficking and resources in the community.

"We want to continue to push educational tools to get inside schools," Weight said.

Operation Lightshine has offices in Jacksonville and Fort Myers/Naples, but is opening an office in Tampa this year.

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