On January 11th, TCSO joined the nation in wearing blue to bring awareness to National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Human trafficking is the exploitation of vulnerable people for labor or sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Trafficking victims, many of whom are children, aren’t limited to race, color, gender, or socioeconomic status. They are people you see every day. It can happen here.

Sadly, Texas is one of the top states for human trafficking due to its size, ease of highway access and its shared border with Mexico. As part of the Central Texas Human Trafficking Task Force, TCSO is committed to serving victims and appre-
hending traffickers.

There are many indicators that someone may be a victim or a potential victim of human trafficking; the Department of Homeland Security lists several on its website. If you are a victim or have information regarding the possibility of some-
one being in a trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888 or contact them online.

We’re excited to welcome two new K-9s Sam and Zeke, herding dogs in our Estray Unit. They are mixed border collies (a breed with heightened herding instincts) who
were recently trained in Granbury, TX by Diamond J Stock-Dogs. Training typically begins when the dogs hit their first birthday and can take up to a year, depending on the dog.

As of 2017, there are over 1,000 farms in Travis County, many of which have a good deal of livestock. Occasionally, these animals escape their boundaries, which can cause all sorts of problems. Herding dogs are trained to gather up these strays and can get to places that are difficult for humans to access. Sam and Zeke have already had two successful deployments.