Texas's Fight Against Human Trafficking

Training law enforcement to use technology and open-source intelligence to disrupt human trafficking markets

DeliverFund Receives $17,200 Grant from Texas Bar Foundation to Train North Texas Law Enforcement in Counter-Human Trafficking

DALLAS, TEXAS / ACCESS Newswire / May 16, 2025 / The Texas Bar Foundation has awarded a $17,200 grant to DeliverFund, a leading nonprofit intelligence agency dedicated to combatting human trafficking. The grant will enable DeliverFund to provide specialized counter-human trafficking training to law enforcement agencies across North Texas, equipping officers with all-source intelligence methods to effectively dismantle trafficking networks, apprehend and prosecute traffickers, and rescue victims.

Human trafficking remains a critical issue in Texas, with the state reporting the second-highest number of trafficking cases nationwide, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2023, Texas reported over 1,300 human trafficking cases with more than 2,600 victims identified across the state (Texas Attorney General's Office, 2024). The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex consistently ranks among the top regions for trafficking activity in Texas, with approximately 15% of all statewide cases occurring in North Texas.

"This grant from the Texas Bar Foundation represents a critical investment in our mission to eliminate human trafficking," said Nic McKinley, CEO of DeliverFund. "Many law enforcement departments are underfunded, understaffed, and overwhelmed by the complexity and scale of human trafficking networks operating across city and state lines. By providing advanced training to North Texas law enforcement, we're empowering officers with the specialized knowledge and seeded to identify trafficking operations, gather actionable intelligence, and build stronger cases that lead to successful prosecutions. Every officer trained means more lives saved from the horrors of modern slavery."

The comprehensive training program will focus on intelligence gathering methodologies, digital investigation techniques, victim identification, and evidence collection strategies specifically tailored to human trafficking cases. Law enforcement participants will gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools and approaches that have proven effective in dismantling trafficking networks across the country.

Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $29 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation's largest charitably funded bar foundation.

For more information about this and other DeliverFund programs, contact Christi.nabors@deliverfund.org.

About DeliverFund

Dallas-based DeliverFund is a nonprofit intelligence organization that leverages cutting-edge technology to equip, train, and advise law enforcement, prosecutors, and policymakers to effectively combat human trafficking.

For more information about DeliverFund, go to https://deliverfund.org.

SOURCE: Daneal Lightner