Human trafficking remains a serious problem worldwide, victimizing juveniles, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. As a valuable partner to law enforcement, LeoTech is committed to ending this unlawful exploitation by leveraging decades of expertise and advanced technology tools, including its patented Verus communications analysis platform, along with the CLEAR and Spotlight investigative solutions from Thomson Reuters.
Connecting the dots
Bobbie Mason, an investigator in LeoTech’s human trafficking section, says her team analyzes authorized communications by prison inmates seeking women or girls to groom.
Explains Mason, “Once I find a suspect, I will run them through Spotlight to identify and investigate any connections he has with females on the outside, then I run that information through CLEAR to verify it. I have discovered cases where one inmate would be working seven or eight girls, most of whom were juveniles.”
The integration of Spotlight and CLEAR enhances investigative context, offering detailed insights and connections across key data points. Within a single tool, investigators can pivot from a data point found in Spotlight to multiple related pieces of information, advancing leads. Mason says using both tools together is immensely helpful.
“I use them every day to confirm information, whether it’s phone numbers, addresses, or social media activity,” she says. “Spotlight and CLEAR give investigators a bigger picture of what’s really going on.”
Speed and efficiency
According to Mason, the process of creating reports for law enforcement is quick and easy. While it’s difficult to quantify the time savings, she says it’s a “game changer” in terms of generating accurate, actionable intelligence quickly.
“Spotlight puts all the information on victims on one page. I just punch in some numbers and I can retrieve detailed information on each victim with CLEAR. It’s very easy.”
Reliable intelligence
Mason says Spotlight and CLEAR deliver meaningful insights that would otherwise be elusive.
“There are things I find and it’s like, ‘Whoa, I didn’t recognize that before,’” she says, noting that she has complete confidence in the information provided. All source data is transparent and readily accessed, enabling users to evaluate its strength.
“The information I get from Spotlight and CLEAR confirms that I’m on the right path and that I’m giving our law enforcement partners the intelligence they need to conduct their investigation,” she says. “It’s almost like I’m out there on the street with them because I know I’m giving them accurate and reliable information. In all the investigations I’ve conducted using Spotlight or CLEAR, nothing has ever indicated the information was incorrect.”
A group effort, a personal mission
Mason emphasizes that fighting human trafficking is collaborative across agencies, departments, and companies, such as LeoTech and Clarivate. However, the work is also intensely personal for Mason.
“I don’t like to see people abused in this way, so I take it to heart. I strive to make the information I provide as strong as possible for the victims. I want to do my part to help locate victims and ensure the guilty do their time, and Spotlight and CLEAR help me in that effort.”
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