Denver DA McCann Testifies in Support of SB24-035

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2024
Contact: Maro Casparian, Communications
amc@denverda.org 720-913-9036

DENVER— Yesterday, February 22,2024, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann and the Director of the Denver DA’s Office Human Trafficking Unit, testified in support of Senate Bill 24-035.
Colorado law currently provides a three-year time within which a survivor of labor trafficking or adult sex trafficking must report the crime. It can take years for a survivor to report being labor or sex trafficked. The bill would increase the statute of limitations from three years to twenty, allowing survivors additional time to report these crimes and DA offices to file these cases.

The bill also adds human trafficking of an adult or a minor for the purpose of involuntary or sexual servitude to the list of crimes of violence that are subject to enhanced sentencing.

“Sex trafficking is a planned and predatory crime in which perpetrators prey on the vulnerable, and we must do everything we can to provide support and justice for these survivors. Labor trafficking is often overlooked and underreported but it is also a predatory crime,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. “I applaud Senators Pelton and Fields and Representative Winter for initiating this bill. The increased statute of limitations provides survivors time to heal and, hopefully, trust the system enough to come forward and report the trafficker. The sentence enhancer will ensure that perpetrators are held accountable in a meaningful way.”

About the Denver DA’s Office:
Our mission is to professionally and competently prosecute crimes and investigate criminal activity on behalf of the people of Colorado, and to seek equal justice for all in the criminal justice system. Our mission also includes preventing crime, supporting the well-being of victims, being involved in the community, being transparent and accountable, and improving the criminal justice system to provide fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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