The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has released more details of a 2011 study of human sex trafficking in the state.
TBI officials say the 2011 TBI and Vanderbilt University study focused on data collection and that The Geography of Trafficking in Tennessee 2013 is more of an analysis of that data.
The report found that the problem of sex trafficking in the state has been understated. About 81% of Tennessee’s law enforcement jurisdictions reported no cases of human sex trafficking.
Sex trafficking cases were reported by social service workers more often than by law enforcement and the report suggests some in law enforcement may not consider sex trafficking to be a serious crime.
Knox County is one of four counties (Coffee, Davidson, Shelby) reporting more than 100 sex trafficking cases involving minors. Half of all cases of sex trafficking were reported in the state’s rural counties.