Sex trafficking and child exploitation cases are complex and understandably sensitive in nature. The victims in these crimes often have great and unique needs and MCAO Victim Advocate Joanna Zigler is dedicated to making sure these needs are met.
 
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division was awarded the Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking grant to serve these very vulnerable victims. This specialized grant, from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and administered by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, makes it possible for Joanna to provide specialized services to victims of sexual exploitation, sex trafficking and victims with non-supportive guardians.
 
When separated from their abuser, victims often need housing and basic items such as clothing and toiletries. Joanna helps to find specialty housing for victims of sex trafficking, so they are safe and have their individual needs met. She pointed to one victim who had a child and a dog and needed a place that could accommodate both. Joanna works to identify and develop community resources, meets regularly with victims, accompanies them to hearings and meetings and will assist in finding resources to meet their individual needs.
 
Joanna works collaboratively with other agencies throughout Maricopa County such as Phoenix Vice and with the advocate there who also specializes in working with trafficked victims. This helps to create a seamless approach in serving these victims when they transition from the investigative phase to the prosecution phase.
 
Joanna also works with victims of Child Sexual Exploitation and with cases where there may be a vulnerable child with unsupportive parents. She strives hard to work with these families to ensure that the victims are getting the services they need and that victims feel supported and heard.
 
A trauma bond can be very strong between a victim and a perpetrator and therefore, victims of sex trafficking often do not view themselves as victims, so Joanna takes the time needed to establish rapport and build trust. “Sometimes just being there for them empowers victims to be able to speak about what they’ve gone through,” said Joanna. “This trust is needed to help support the victim throughout the justice process and ultimately hold the offender accountable.”
 
Joanna is a knowledgeable and skilled advocate for both minor victims and adult victims of sex trafficking. She has a degree in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona and began her career interning at the Arizona Department of Child Safety. She then took a position with Jewish Family and Children’s Services, working with parents who had their children removed from the home to provide education on parenting skills and to facilitate visits with their children while they went through the program. After that experience and before joining us at MCAO, she went to work for CASA—Court Appointed Special Advocates—which gave her direct experience helping child victims navigate the court system.

January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month and last month, 21 churches in the East Valley came together for “A Night of Hope: Exposing the Practices of Human Trafficking,” to take a stand against the horrific realities of the practice.
 
County Attorney Bill Montgomery addressed the nearly 1,000 people in attendance and started by explaining how Arizona’s highway system and geographic location creates opportunities for traffickers to move the individuals along the interstate freeway system. He emphasized the importance of people taking action by picking up the phone and making the call to law enforcement when they come into contact with a victim of human trafficking. He then reminded attendees that Arizona has increased penalties for the pimps and those who purchase individuals for sex.
 
Sadly, since 2015 the number of human trafficking cases prosecuted by MCAO has doubled. However, in the last two years MCAO has been able to secure sentences ranging from 102-330 years for child prostitution and sex traffickers.
 
“You see this is a market place where people are trading in human flesh,” said County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “If you don’t have a buyer, you can’t have a seller. If there are no sellers, there are no victims.”

Long-time MCAO prosecutor April Sponsel has been in a courtroom more times than she can count. After watching many of the newer law enforcement officers participate in trials, she recognized the need to ensure these folks were not only prepared for Court, but also had the tools to provide effective and expert testimony.
 
When law enforcement officers testify in court, the jury, judge, prosecutor, defense and often even the public are watching and listening. It’s important for officers, detectives, crime scene specialists, crime analysts and all those in law enforcement to be effective, knowledgeable and above all prepared. After talking with many new officers and recalling a previous MCAO class specific to testimony for gang detectives, April created a “testimony class” specifically for officers. With blessings from her Bureau Chief at the time, Gina Godbehere, April reached out to the Associate Presiding Judge and began creating a class plan that included use of a courtroom and role-playing using direct and cross examination. April knew many officers have never testified in Superior Court or maybe had only testified a few times.
 
As a result, April was able to put together a successful Courtroom Testimony class that includes experienced detectives who attend as a refresher, short presentations explaining the nuances and inner workings of the courtroom that officers may not be aware of, and a mock trial held in an actual courtroom.
 
April engages experienced officers to come to the class and play different parts—some who’s parts call for them to become belligerent with defense counsel and others who are playing calm, cool and collected. Some “actors” in the mock trial forget what they wrote and keep asking to see the report, others don’t speak loud enough. The goal is to demonstrate officers doing a great job testifying and others who do a poor job testifying so class participants will understand how the jury might react to the differences. The class also utilizes different levels of experience in prosecutors. Newer prosecutors are encouraged to participate because the class is a learning experience for them as well and gives them an opportunity to participate in different types of cross examination. The testimony class has been so successful that a version has now been created specific to crime analysts and will be offered a second time to this audience this summer.
 
April tells us the overall goal of the class, both for officers and analysts, is to prepare them to be confident so their expertise comes through in testimony despite different styles of questioning and different types of cases. April is also developing an advanced course—limited to 10 participants—who would like to have the chance to be put through a direct and cross examination. This class may be offered to officers with 1 to 9 years of experience who have not testified more than 5 times in Superior Court in a felony trial. “I think the class is important to help ease the stress of the unknown for those who have never testified,” said April. “The class gives those who attend insight on how they may be examined by the defense on many levels and how they can effectively answer questions. It also is an opportunity for officers to network with prosecutors and other agencies which makes for successful communication across the board.”

Are you currently swiping for love? Looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right online is more common today than ever before, but it’s popularity often causes daters to overlook their own personal safety and doesn’t give you the chance to have someone you know make you aware of a date’s background.
 
With Valentine’s Day coming up, we’d like to help you avoid becoming a victim with a few common-sense safety tips you should consider before meeting your next “perfect” match.
 

1. Limit Personal Information Sharing
   Getting to know each other is essential to the dating process, but that doesn’t mean you have to share your life story right away. You can get to know someone without sharing specific information about yourself. For example, if a “match” asks where you work, you can simply say what industry you work in rather than the business’s name.
   
   Also, be careful what you share online. Many new dating apps are linked to various social media accounts. You can’t give vague answers as a safety precaution but have it all posted and shared online.
   
   
2. Tell Someone
   A first date can be exciting and nerve-wracking, but NEVER forget to let someone know if you’re meeting someone that you met online. You can be as descriptive as you’d like to whomever you talk to regularly, but at a minimum you should be sharing: Where you are meeting and the name of the person you’re meeting. Another thing to think about- share an image of your date with a friend.
   
   
3. Do Some Online Research
   It’s OKAY to Google your “match” before a date. Using search engines is a great starting point for any online dater. Search both the name and image of your “match” before ever meeting them in person.
   
   
4. Meet in Public
   Have you ever heard the saying “safety in numbers”? Well, it applies to online dating situations! While a nice hike may seem like the perfect first date, be sure to make plans to meet where other people will be, like a restaurant or coffee shop.
   
   
5. Arrive and Leave Alone
   It may seem romantic to be picked up for a first date, or walked to your front door, but it’s not the safest choice when it comes to online dating. Like the rest of your personal information, you should never share your personal address with someone you don’t really know. And with so many different transportation options, there is no reason a person can’t get home alone safely.
   
   
6. Pay Attention to Your Alcohol Intake
   This may be an obvious safety tip but it’s easy to have “one more drink”, especially on a nerve-inducing first date. Remember that drinking too much can impair your judgement and cause you to be less aware of your surroundings.