Broken Arrow Police Hold Human Trafficking Awareness Forum For Parents

Broken Arrow Police held a forum Monday night to talk to parents about trafficking and internet access for kids.

They talked about what signs to look for and how to talk to kids about being online.

After the presentation, parents had a lot of good questions for the investigators and counselors.

People from Broken Arrow Public Schools, Broken Arrow Police, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, The Demand Project, and the Muscogee Creek Nation all spoke Monday.

They talked about signs that kids might be part of a trafficking situation, like having a boyfriend or girlfriend that’s several years older than them, running away or being gone frequently, and signs the relationship is controlling or abusive.

Experts say it’s not only messaging apps parents need to check because kids often use gaming apps to chat with people as well.

They say predators can be charming and good at manipulating people.

They say parents need to be involved in their children’s lives and know what they’re doing online, and it’s better to talk to them now rather than when it’s too late.

“If you walked into your kid’s room and they said ‘you can’t come in my room,’ as a parent, you would say, ‘no, I can,”’ said Chief Brandon Berryhill with Broken Arrow Police. “The same thing applies to social media. If your kids have a phone and they have passwords, you should know how to get past those.”

Kids say they’ve noticed how scary it can be online and went Monday to see what they could learn to keep themselves safe.

“Because I just want to make sure and know how to avoid the stuff that’s happening in the world,” said Peyton Allen.

Police say if you see anything suspicious on your kid’s phone, make sure nothing gets deleted, then go to police instead of trying to conduct your own investigation.