Human trafficking is not just an issue that happens somewhere else—it’s something Suffolk County deals with every day.

“We have a very unhappy statistic with the top 20 percent of the state trafficking right here in Suffolk County, mainly because we have 1.5 million residents. So, it is a big county with a lot of people,” Legis. Dominick Thorne said at a public meeting at the Patchogue-Medford Library last Wednesday. He added that Suffolk County now has one of the worst human trafficking situations in New York State.

The event was not just a simple presentation, but more of a call to action. Its goal was to provide residents with more strategies that they are not aware of in their daily lives but are often used by human trafficking organizations. The speakers bolstered their data by providing victim pictures and stories.

“The best way to prevent this crime is to not let it happen in the first place. That is why we have a public class. We want you to know the signs and symptoms; we want you to know how they are approaching our youth; we want you to know how they are reaching or in trapping or into this trafficking,” Thorne said.

The hour-long meeting covered how traffickers target vulnerable groups, such as teenagers and homeless people, for example. Once they have selected their targets, they monitor them for long periods to understand what people are going through and then coax or even threaten them to get what they want.

Investigator Erin Meunkle said traffickers are true master manipulators and can sometimes control their targets with only simple but fake promises.

“They are really patient, and they take months of them throwing someone online, and they learn what that person is lacking, and then they appeal to that; they know how to exploit those feelings, and they take advantage whenever they are given an opportunity. And sadly, for some people, the people without a support system really pay attention; even if it’s coming from a malicious place, [it] makes them more susceptible,” she said.

Successful work cannot be achieved without the cooperation of many parties. “We have forged partnerships with every agency in the county: the police department, the FBI, security, probation, and many different victim service organizations and faith-based groups,” Meunkle said.

Thorne said it is not just a community safety issue but also a personal issue for him. “I have two young girls. I know plenty of families over there where my girls go to school… even if I am sitting at the bus stop and see these young kids without a care in the world, it motivates me to make sure that I do everything within my power to keep them safe—and it is not just girls,” he said.

Thorne also encouraged each visitor to seek police help promptly. The police assured visitors that anyone with current knowledge of human trafficking can report it to them, and they will ensure anyone’s safety. “I am going to try to have something called a crime victim representative there because chances are there might be somebody in the world that is being trafficked, and I want them to know that there are resources to immediately have some assistance… They will not leave there without proper protection and support.”

Thorne is working to eliminate the hidden crisis that exists in the community, not only by bringing traffickers to jail, but also by eliminating the conditions that allow human trafficking to flourish.

“So, when we all come together in progress, whether housing or health care or transportation, a lot of times they need legal assistance, things like that, mental health care, you know, and we try and provide them with connections to any service that they might need,” he said

Yanxin Li is a reporter with the SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working News program for students and local media.