Bondi Enlists ER Doctors in Fight Against Human Trafficking
Friday, July 25, 2014
By: Matthew Peddie

July 25th, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando- Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is launching a new partnership with Emergency medical workers to try to curb human trafficking.

[Attorney General Pam Bondi Talks about Human Trafficking at Florida Hospital. Photo: Matthew Peddie, WMFE]

Florida ranks 3rd in the number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline- but Attorney General Pam Bondi says she wants to make this a ‘zero tolerance state’ for trafficking.

Flanked by Florida law enforcement personnel and members of the emergency medicine community at Florida Hospital, Bondi said ER employees can help identify trafficking victims.

“They’re going to be the first responders," said Bondi.

"If you can develop a relationship with that victim, you can save not only her life but the lives of many others and give us the ability as law enforcement to lock these monsters up, for the rest of their lives, where they belong.” 

The anti-human trafficking initiative will circulate a two page fact sheet among ER personnel, which lists potential signs of trafficking.

The list includes the kinds of injuries associated with sex or labor trafficking, and an example of ‘rapid assessment questions’ to ask a patient. 

Dr. George Ralls is the Medical Director of the Orange County EMS system.

Ralls says he has seen trafficking victims among his patients while working as an emergency physician.

“Sometimes I looked into their eyes, and clearly there was an issue, that I was aware of their pain and desperation, and I made efforts to try to resolve things," said Ralls.

"I can tell you looking back at my career, many times it was a real confusing moment. What do I do about this, how do we help this person?”