Benjamin Thomas Greer

Ancient Crimes – Modern Solutions

Specialties & Interests

Borders and Immigration

Informing domestic and international jurisdictions as a speaker, instructor, and expert on human trafficking and associated exploitation

Disaster Response

Teaching emergency management agencies how to train/prepare their personnel to identify and mitigate exploitation post-disaster

Law Enforcement

Building multi-disciplinary Task Forces, applying a victim-centered approach, and using trauma informed care protocols

ABOUT

Serving as an Emergency Management Coordinator II at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Benjamin is a subject matter expert in the field of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation, specifically instructing and developing human trafficking courses for law enforcement and emergency management personnel for the California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI). Aside from his work with CSTI, developing and delivering terrorism and trafficking trainings, he is currently researching the nexus between disaster events and human exploitation.

Before joining Cal OES, he served as a Special Deputy Attorney General for the California Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. There he led a team of attorneys and non-attorneys in a comprehensive analysis and report on The State of Human Trafficking in California. He has published numerous law review and international journal articles analyzing aspects of the global trafficking response framework and plays a prominent role as Contributing/Advisory Board member on two international peer-reviewed anti-trafficking journals. In addition to his work with CalOES, he is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security Master’s Degree Program and is a Research Associate for the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Applied Research in Human Trafficking.

CHDS AFFILIATION

  • Masters in Security Studies, CHDS, Naval Postgraduate School, 2021
  • Finalist for Outstanding Thesis Award, Cohort 2001/2002
  • Guest Speaker, CHDS
  • Creator of upcoming Self-study Course: Human Trafficking and the Homeland Security Enterprise

Ben Greer is not only a dedicated member of the anti-trafficking community, but his knowledge of anti-trafficking law (in all of its facets) has been invaluable to the projects we have worked on together! Ben understands the big picture in our response to slavery, and easily works across all professional sectors. Ben is a great asset to any project.”

– John Vanek, Ret. Law Enforcement

“Being mentored by Ben is one of the greatest professional experiences of my career. His multifaceted and creative approach in addressing human trafficking issues cannot be rivaled.”

– Brittany Barrios Hadaway, DHS/USCIS/RAIO

HIGHLIGHTS

Ben Greer explores existing frameworks and common challenges with information sharing among California’s anti-human trafficking specialty units.

All available data indicates California has a significant human trafficking problem; while human trafficking poses as a dynamic transient crime, often serving as an intersectional criminal tactic, California’s law enforcement and emergency response systems and resources are not being leveraged to match the threat.

In cases involving human trafficking, law enforcement agencies primarily focus on attaining a criminal sentence while all too often marginalizing or overlooking monetary restoration for the victim. Prosecutors often focus more on their case file than on a vigorous pursuit of victim restitution, feeling that they have a mandate, first and foremost, to convict. Although the victim may be heartened by his or her abuser’s conviction, without an appropriately formulated monetary recovery for damages, the victim may never truly be made monetarily whole, and the perpetrator is, therefore, not held fully responsible.

Trafficking is a highly dynamic and fluid phenomenon that reacts remarkably well to consumer demand, under-regulated economic sectors, and easily adapts to exploit weaknesses in prevailing laws. The California State Legislature has begun a novel approach—fostering greater public awareness in their systematic combat against forced labour by requiring businesses to disclose their anti-trafficking supply chain policies.

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