Project Rose - helping victims of sex trafficking in Phoenix

[ChazII]

5. Project Rose a combination of state/community and church

http://phoenix.gov/police/roseii.html

Working in partnership through a collaborative community effort, officers from across the Phoenix Police Department and a host of community partners (ASU, the City of Phoenix Prosecutors Office, Bethany Bible Church, Catholic Charities, EMPACT, Community Bridges and HealthCare for the Homeless StreetlightUSA, ALERT) fanned out across the city and actively sought those in greatest need of services and support. The team, under the strong leadership and guidance of Phoenix Police Department Lt. Jim Gallagher and Dr. Dominique Roe-Sepowitz PhD of the Arizona State University School of Social Work, conducted 2 twelve hour operations from a command post hosted by Pastor Brad Pellish and Bethany Bible Church and staffed by 116 volunteers.


Project ROSE is an example of using non-traditional and innovative means to address a very traditional issue, one where the focus has typically been on criminalizing a vastly underserved population instead of seeking to understand their victimization, their needs or their inherent dignity. This project has changed that misperception to many people and that, perhaps, is its greatest success.