Local News
Human Trafficking Response
One of the newest chaplains in the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s chaplains’ program is also an expert on Human Trafficking. Joy and Michael Koepke are both chaplains who moved here from Denver, Colorado. Joy notes Wisconsin is among the worst states for human trafficking for either sex or labor. She says victims are often with their captors for years and the only way they get out is to die. Over 100,000 minors in the U.S. are Human Trafficking victims. Victims are picked up at malls or sometimes high schools. They are also recruited through the internet. Sheriff’s Lieutenant Cameron McGee warns traffickers they aren’t the only people monitoring those pages or for that matter posting them. He says they watch those pages too and they might also be sponsoring a webpage hoping to catch traffickers in the act. Koepke urges anyone who suspects human trafficking or may be a victim to call the Human Trafficking Hotline toll free at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text “info” or “help” to BeFree or 233733.