SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Lawmakers in New Jersey want to train Uber drivers to notice warning signs of human trafficking.
Stationed between New York and Philadelphia, the Garden State is often a hub for this sort of crime — one that is difficult to spot in public unless you know what to look for.
“This is prime territory for human traffickers,” said state Sen. Troy Singleton, who is co-sponsoring a bill that would require drivers at companies like Uber and Lyft to take training courses on how to identify troubled people.
According to Singleton and his co-sponsor, state Sen. Vin Gopal, ride-hailing companies have been used more frequently in trafficking cases as a way to discretely move and relocate victims.
“Many of the things that law enforcement has looked for are signs of stress in passengers, signs of passengers who just on the surface of it looks like there’s a vast discrepancy in age or mannerisms, a lack of familiarity among the two participants,” Singleton explained.
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They would also be trained in certain hand signals so victims can non-verbally communicate that they are in danger.
Anti-trafficking training is usually not required, but the bill would prohibit all New Jersey ride-hailing drivers from working until they complete the certification.
Singleton said human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery, and we must do all we can to stop it.
The bill cleared Senate Transportation Committee votes earlier this month. There’s no date yet for when it would be up for a full vote.
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