Human trafficking “not on an increase” in Poughkeepsie area, police say

A tweet posted on Aug. 7 claims that human trafficking and kidnapping cases “increased tremendously” in the Poughkeepsie and Fishkill areas in prior weeks, but the town police found no evidence to support the claim. 

The post originated from a private Twitter user, but other public users shared the warning on their social media pages. Detective Sgt. Colin Bell of the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department said cases of human trafficking and kidnapping have not increased in the area recently, though he affirmed that sex trafficking could happen anywhere. 

Bell said the police received similar calls about potential trafficking at the local Target in 2018, one of the locations included in the recently circulated post. While he said he cannot speak for other areas, such as New York City, Bell said the department is in frequent contact with other local police agencies and no increased warnings have been issued. 

Should Marist students or local residents witness any suspicious activity, Bell said they should not try to intervene and should call 911 for the fastest response. If possible and relevant, he recommends sharing a detailed description of the vehicle and recalling the license plate number. 

“Social media is a great platform to get ideas out and keep people aware, but sometimes it gets people a little bit spooked, and then all of the sudden you have a wildfire of people thinking that it’s a bigger problem than it is,” Bell said.

“I’m not saying that human trafficking isn’t a problem –– it is, obviously –– but it’s not on an increase in this area.” 

Despite recent social media claims, police reported no increase in human trafficking cases in Poughkeepsie, photographed here during its final First Friday celebration in October 2019. Source: Sarah Lynch