Truck driver saves daughter from potential groomer with help from POE officers

(LAMAR, Colo.) — A Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Port of Entry (POE) Officer might have saved a life by helping a truck driver become informed about trafficking so he could help prevent his daughter from potentially being groomed in a relationship.

Truckers Against Trafficking ( TAT ), a program that raises awareness about trafficking, shared a story via Facebook on Monday, Aug. 26 about a truck driver who came into an inspection stop at the Lamar Port of Entry.

According to TAT, the driver was distraught about his 20-year-old daughter, who had met a man 10 years her senior and stopped all contact with her father. The driver told CSP Entry Officer Gonzales his daughter had moved in with the man and turned off her location after the driver left for his truck run.

The driver told Officer Gonzales he had asked a friend to run a background check on the guy and learned he had an extensive criminal background. TAT said Officer Gonzales told the driver to remain calm and reach out to his daughter to let her know he was trying to understand her situation and that he would always stand by her.

TAT said another officer gave the driver a pamphlet about trafficking, and a wallet card and mentioned that he could use safe words to communicate with his daughter in case she was with somebody and could not speak openly.

When the driver returned to the POE in Lamar, TAT said he told officers that he had contacted his daughter who agreed to meet him and they had watched videos on the TAT website. The driver told officers that his daughter was scared that she might have been involved with someone who could potentially be grooming her.

According to TAT, the driver gave everyone hugs at the port and asked if he could buy them dinner. The POE said they could not allow the driver to use his money for monetary gain, so the driver opted to donate to the 911 fund in Lamar on behalf of the POE.

TAT trains individuals to recognize human trafficking. According to TAT, every truck driver can be an ally as they are also traveling on the same highways as traffickers and can be the eyes and ears of the streets.

Individuals can report human trafficking via the TAT app or by reporting it to the National Human Trafficking toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Individuals can also text *233733.

For more information about TAT and its mission, click the link above.

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