Shawnee Co. District Attorney’s Office to receive funding for anti-human trafficking efforts

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office will receive federal funding for anti-human trafficking efforts.

Shawnee County District Attorney Michael Kagay announced they have received official notification from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs that the office has been selected to receive federal funding that will significantly increase anti-human trafficking efforts in the area.

The Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office said new federal funding for investigations totals $650,468 over a three-year period, which will support a dedicated Human Trafficking Investigator out of the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office and a Human Trafficking Intelligence Analyst and Task Force Coordinator out of the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office. These people will work together to amplify the work of the Kaw Valley Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce, which currently has local, state and federal partners working in Shawnee, Osage and Jackson Counties.

This funding is a result of the offices’ successful application of the OVC FY 2023 Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Grant, which brings law enforcement and victim service providers together to provide victim-centered and trauma-informed investigations and services.

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