MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office will relaunch the Coastal Region Human Trafficking Task Force to help combat the crime in Horry and Georgetown Counties.

In 2017, Horry County ranked number three for the most amount of human trafficking cases in the state, however, the cases are difficult to investigate and prosecute because they occur primarily underground.

“You’re talking burner phones, the Internet, changing and relocating to different hotels and motels,” says Kathryn Moorehead, Director of Human Trafficking programs for the State Attorney General’s Office.

Moorehead works to raise awareness for human trafficking in South Carolina and tracks the state’s reported cases of the crime.

“In 2017, 50 percent of the cases in South Carolina were dismissed, and I often talk about that with the groups that I train because they need to understand it’s a complex crime that needs a multidisciplinary approach,” says Moorehead.

Moorehead says the Coastal Region Task Force will make it easier for different entities to prevent human trafficking and prosecute the crime because they will all be working together.

The task force will be made up of different subgroups of medical care professionals, educators, business owners, law enforcement, and victim counselors, who will be made more aware of what to look for when identifying a victim, and how to better investigate and charge a human trafficking case.

“Once these people understand they can work together, someone working in the emergency room can identify a victim and get DSS involved and get law enforcement involved, and they can investigate the case and then pass it off to the prosecutor’s office,” says Moorehead.

The Coastal Region Task Force will relaunch July 26th at 10 a.m. in the municipal court at the Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center. The public is invited to attend, join the task force and learn more about the complexities of human trafficking.

For any further questions about the Coastal Region Human Trafficking Task Force, contact the director, Patty Jackson at (804) 334-5824.

If you suspect human trafficking or you are a victim seeking services, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. 

For more information on human trafficking in South Carolina, click here.