Council member Willis with recipient of the Champion of Freedom Award, Bryan Tony, of 24 Hour Dallas, and Chad Frymire of the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking. Photo courtesy of District 13.
District 13 Council member Gay Donnell Willis hosted a Human Trafficking Awareness Luncheon before the Public Safety Committee on Jan. 8 at City Hall.
In 2023, Mayor Eric Johnson appointed Willis as chair of the Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Taskforce. She leads efforts to prevent sex trafficking, forced labor and domestic violence. Mayor Johnson officially designated January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month, following Governor Greg Abbott’s proclamation.
At the luncheon, Councilmember Willis discussed policy experts, social workers, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and policymakers to address trafficking in the community. Dallas Police Department (DPD) representatives highlighted DPD’s efforts to combat sex trafficking and prevent youth grooming, working closely with Dallas ISD.
Chad Frymire, board president of the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking, presented Bryan Tony of 24Hour Dallas with the Champion of Freedom Award for his dedication to educating nighttime patrons and workers on identifying and reporting human trafficking.
Following the luncheon, guests attended the Public Safety Committee and heard from the Dallas Police Department on their annual update on human trafficking and 2024 initiatives. DPD’s crime analytics dashboard reported 60 human trafficking cases in 2023, up from 53 in 2022.
Dallas-Fort Worth, despite representing only 26% of the state’s population, accounts for 35% of Texas’ commercial sexual exploitation cases, as reported by Texas Human Trafficking Courts.
DPD promises to regularly update the dashboard and to record any human trafficking offenses.
