TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Brian D. Martin, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
title
Memorandum of Understanding between Salem Municipal Airport and U.S. Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security.
Ward(s): 2
Councilor(s): Nishioka
Neighborhood(s): SEMCA, SESNA
Result Area(s): Safe and Healthy Community, Strong and Diverse Economy
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SUMMARY:
summary
The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security work in coordination with commercial service airports to raise awareness of and combat human trafficking and encourage the public to report suspected instances of human trafficking. A Memorandum of Understanding documents the roles and responsibilities of the participating agencies.
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ISSUE:
Shall City Council authorize the City Manager to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Authorize the City Manager to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
• The airport agrees to participate in training of transportation employees at the airport using government provided materials and agrees to report once per year to the U.S. Government the total number of airport employees trained, including a breakdown of occupations.
• Each participating agency authorizes the others to utilize their trademarks, names, logos, and similar branding materials (visual identities) as part of a co-branding effort.
• The airport may discontinue participation in this MOU at any time for any reason with sixty days’ notice to the other parties.
• There is minimal budget and operational impact to participate in the initiative. The airport will bear the costs to reproduce and distribute materials provided by the U.S. Government.
BACKGROUND:
The U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) engages in public outreach efforts to combat human trafficking by raising general awareness of the issue and encouraging the public to report suspected instances of human trafficking. DHS enters into MOUs with Airports and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to promote the Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), an element of the DHS Blue Campaign led by the DOT and DHS to coordinate and enhance the Departments’ anti-human trafficking efforts.
The BLI focuses on prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership efforts within the commercial aviation industry associated with combating human trafficking. To protect victims of human trafficking and encourage their cooperation with law enforcement agencies, DHS offers a number of materials informing potential victims of the availability of immigration relief or other forms of victim assistance. In addition, DHS furthers effective prevention, investigative, and prosecutorial activities by training thousands of Federal, state, local, and international law enforcement officials annually to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and to conduct successful human trafficking investigations. DHS routinely works with international, Federal, state, and local government entities, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to help promote the goals of the Blue Campaign.
The DOT is taking action across all modes of transportation and with partners throughout the Federal government to stop the flow of human trafficking and is helping transportation industry sectors to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report suspicious activity. Section 2 of the Combatting Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act (Public Law 115-99) encourages the “coordination of human trafficking prevention efforts across modal administrations in the Department of Transportation and with other departments and agencies of the Federal Government.” This MOU solidifies the partnership between the DOT and DHS to counter human trafficking.
The DOT recognizes that all modes of transportation stand at an intersecting point with human trafficking and thus, with proper awareness and training, employees in the transportation industry can be key assets in identifying and reporting suspicious behavior. This crucial partnership with Airports, a key stakeholder in the nation’s transportation industry, will further discourage human trafficking activity. The DOT partners and stands with DHS and the Airport to counter human trafficking through employee training and awareness; this will help pave the way for our nation’s transportation system to be free from the scourge of human trafficking.
John Paskell
Airport Manager
Attachments:
1. BLI Memorandum of Understanding