By San Luis Obispo Counter-Human Trafficking Task Force Board 

Over the past several months, the columns have mentioned the fact that the San Luis Obispo County Counter Human Trafficking Team utilizes partnerships and collaborations to disrupt and dismantle human trafficking networks locally. 

Many of the team’s partners are local entities that come from the community, non-governmental organizations, and other law enforcement bodies. While the efforts of all contributors efforts are necessary, critical, and appreciated, one organization has provided consistent assistance and has been the primary collaborative partner in the fight against human trafficking since the inception of the Counter Human Trafficking Team. That organization is DeliverFund. 

DeliverFund is a non-profit counter-human trafficking organization headquartered in Dallas, Texas, dedicated to creating “scalable” solutions to impact the fight against human trafficking in the United States. 

DeliverFund is a private intelligence firm founded and operated by a team with a vast array of training and experience. They are a “private intelligence firm that disrupts human trafficking markets by providing intelligence and specialized analytics about human trafficking activities to law enforcement authorities.”  

Their team consists of employees with backgrounds in the CIA, NSA, special military operations, and law enforcement. In short, they are a cadre of highly skilled and highly motivated individuals with backgrounds in intelligence and investigations that are taking the fight directly to the pimps and traffickers across the nation.

DeliverFund essentially takes the tactics that have been applied in counterintelligence settings across the globe and have put them to use domestically, assisting American law enforcement authorities to disrupt the domestic human trafficking markets. And they are very good at what they do.  

As an example of DeliverFund’s dedication to the fight against human trafficking, following the shutdown of “backpage.com” in 2018, DeliverFund took over the website’s office space, converting what had previously been a workspace of evil and wickedness to a location completely consumed by the desire to fight the evil that human trafficking is. Prior to its seizure and shut down by the federal government backpage.com, had become one of the largest online marketplaces for buying and selling sex. 

Essentially, backpage.com was an online conduit that encouraged and supported the exploitation of humans and knowingly facilitated human sex trafficking. The irony of taking over what was previously enemy territory and converting it to use for good is not lost on anyone on the DeliverFund team.

DeliverFund counters the subculture of human trafficking in a holistic manner by equipping, training, and advising law enforcement investigators and then providing support and resources to help victims of human trafficking thrive. 

These efforts are broken down as follows:

Equip – DeliverFund has the largest “analyst curated human trafficking database” in the United States. In short, DeliverFund has been able to reduce the time it takes to identify a potential trafficking victim from what may have been days to just a few hours using proprietary software to identify and locate traffickers and exploiters. 

DeliverFund, through their training, teaches law enforcement investigators how to use this technology for the benefit of human trafficking investigations, thus saving time and maximizing investigative efforts and resources. Collaborating locally with DeliverFund has also been beneficial as the team at DeliverFund has contacts nationwide. This has enabled the Counter Human Trafficking Team to seek and find a direct contact in multiple states, including Arizona, Florida, and Texas, in just a few minutes’ time, saving countless investigative hours. The collaboration and networking opportunity that DeliverFund provides is priceless. 

Train – DeliverFund provides training to law enforcement personnel that integrates the use of technology as well as practical, hands-on instruction in the methodology of identifying and rescuing victims while apprehending and holding traffickers accountable. The training provided by DeliverFund is all-encompassing in terms of how to conduct a solid investigation from beginning to end and includes a victim-centered approach teaching students how to best interact with trafficking victims, giving them the best chance at escaping a life of exploitation. 

Advise – the team at DeliverFund is top-notch with respect to their dedication to the fight against human trafficking. They are highly trained and are all consummate professionals. As mentioned, the team at DeliverFund come from a variety of prior careers, which include backgrounds in intelligence, special military operations, and law enforcement; their skills are used in their efforts to disrupt human trafficking networks.

The team at DeliverFund realizes that only law enforcement personnel can arrest traffickers, so law enforcement investigators are who they collaborate with in this mission. DeliverFund’s team provides intelligence reports to local law enforcement investigators that identifies human trafficking activity and offers ongoing and live support during an investigation. It is of note that DeliverFund also offers “boots on the ground” support to law enforcement when needed. 

DeliverFund has provided the San Luis Obispo Counter Human Trafficking Team live and in-person support in the past, most notably during Operation Reclaim and Rebuild 2020. Most recently, DeliverFund partnered with law enforcement authorities in Tampa, Florida, during the Super Bowl to identify potential traffickers and provide analytical support to investigators, all to disrupt the trafficking market that typically surrounds the Super Bowl. This was the third year that DeliverFund has provided these types of invaluable services. 

Thrive – what is so critical is providing rescued trafficking victim’s support. 

DeliverFund provides the opportunity for victims to not only survive the trauma they have experienced but also thrive and heal by connecting them with support and services. The opportunity to connect with other survivors is provided as well. DeliverFund’s goal is to rescue victims and turn them from survivors to “Thrivers” and, if appropriate, be connected to speaking and teaching opportunities so they can educate law enforcement and victim service providers on the reality of human trafficking. The goal of this type of training is to provide investigators and advocates a curriculum that focuses on a victim-centered approach and an overall awareness of human trafficking.  

It cannot adequately be put into words what the collaborative relationship with DeliverFund has meant to the investigative team that makes up the San Luis Obispo County Counter Human Trafficking Team. The team at DeliverFund has provided countless hours of analytical support here locally since 2019, has provided live and in-person analytical assistance with a Senior Targeting Analyst for proactive operations, and has provided cutting-edge investigative assistance to local investigators. It is of note that all these services – the training, the networking, which is so crucial, and ongoing support have been provided to the Counter Human Trafficking Team free of charge. 

DeliverFund, as mentioned, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and is entirely funded by donations and public support.

For the public, DeliverFund has a very comprehensive website that includes resources, FAQ’s, statistics, and a variety of multimedia links that provides relevant, realistic, and accurate information on the topic of human trafficking. 

DeliverFund has an active presence on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as in blog form and on a variety of podcasts. All these mediums provide quality content put together by the dedicated experts at DeliverFund. 

A simple and highly recommended place to start if you are interested in learning more about human trafficking is to subscribe to the DeliverFund newsletter. 

There are many resources out there – but the San Luis Obispo Counter Human Trafficking Team has seen, time and time again, that a tried-and-true partner has been and continues to be our friends and partners at DeliverFund. 

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RESOURCES

DeliverFund Newsletter | deliverfund.org/join-the-fight/

DeliverFund Link Tree | linktr.ee/DeliverFund

DeliverFund Facebook | facebook.com/DeliverFund/

Froglogic Podcast Episode #62 | Hunting Human Traffickers | Listen Here