CLEVELAND — Courtney Kinkoph went missing nearly three years ago.
The 29-year-old had battled years of substance abuse and mental illness, but her death a few months later didn’t lie in the grips of either of those things.
Instead, it was something more sinister — human trafficking.
Her mother, Carolyn Kinkoph, a doctoral candidate in urban studies, now works hand-in-hand with Cleveland State University, ensuring law enforcement and professionals are provided with the necessary skills to identify suspects and protect victims involved in human trafficking.
“One of the main points that I try to teach people is if you know something, if you see something, say something, do something,” said Kinkoph, co-founder of Alliance Against Human Trafficking.
Cleveland State University hosted its two-day "Human Trafficking Training" this week, offering free training for public safety officers and professionals.
Kinkoph said the training welcomed law enforcement, the medical community, mental health care providers, and other legal professionals, all of whose field of study puts them in the realm of encountering at-risk individuals or survivors of human trafficking.
She added that it’s important to organize events that bring awareness to this senseless act as a split-second decision can be the difference between life and death.
“She (Courtney) is the reason that I want to teach others about human trafficking because she was a victim and I didn’t understand what human trafficking was until she was in the throes of victimization,” Kinkoph said.
Dan Nash, a retired Missouri state trooper in the Human Trafficking Unit and co-founder of the Human Trafficking Training Center, facilitated the training.
Kinkoph said attendees learned the process of interdiction, including how to search for and properly obtain evidence, how to appropriately interview victims and suspects, and understand PTSD.
Most police officers have CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training, however, recognizing the signs of human trafficking is a vastly different domain.
Kinkoph said it’s a feeling she knows all too well.
“There were three law enforcement officers who encountered her within weeks, and even days of her death, and they didn’t know what to do. So they didn’t know what resources were available and saw her as an adult, not an endangered adult in need who was missing and couldn’t take care of herself.”
Kinkoph said there are many agencies available, such as the Northeast Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, that people can reach out to for assistance. The task force also is a support system for other law enforcement agencies, she said.
Nevertheless, Kinkoph said it’s important for ‘all’ legal professionals to properly recognize the signs of human trafficking and take immediate action.
“Oftentimes labor trafficking isn’t reported, sex trafficking isn’t reported,” Courtney Kinkoph said. “Victims don’t identify, they don't realize that they’re victims.”
“So that’s why it’s very important for not only law enforcement and other professionals to recognize it, but also community members," she added. So if they do know something, they can say something, they can do something, they can report to the appropriate agencies.”
Kinkoph said her organization (the Alliance Against Human Trafficking) offers bi-monthly public meetings, and volunteer work along with collaboration with other agencies that fight human trafficking. To learn more visit allianceagainstht.org.
