As a recently retired Lieutenant in the Investigations Division of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, State Senator Kevin Kinney (D) of Oxford has seen the effects of human trafficking first hand. Since being elected into office in November 2014, he has been working on finding solutions to this growing national issue.

Kinney pushed for non-governmental and law enforcement personnel to be educated on the subject during his first session last year, and this year focused on providing a human trafficking office within the department of public safety to oversee and eliminate the problem within the state. Senate File 2191 received bi-partisan support and was signed into law by Governor Terry Branstad on April 7.

Kinney says southeast Iowa has had its share of human trafficking problems, stating the first case ever prosecuted in Iowa came in part from Washington County. Since then, Kinney has been involved in investigating other cases of human trafficking in Washington, Keokuk and Johnson counties.

Kinney adds human trafficking has become one of largest profit making illegal activities in the United States, second only to drug trafficking.