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King County looks to ride share drivers to help flag sex trafficking

caption: File photo of Uber driver near the San Francisco International Airport.
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File photo of Uber driver near the San Francisco International Airport.
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

The King County Council will consider a motion that would direct the executive to explore training ride-share drivers to spot sex trafficking.

Both the city and the county have taken steps to address the problem, but bill co-sponsor Jeanne Kohl-Welles told the committee more can be done.

“Human trafficking is the second fastest growing black market in the world. And we are not immune to it here," Kohl-Welles said.

She told committee members that drivers for hire can play a role too.

”We know that increasingly traffickers are using ride sharing apps to deliver victims to their buyers," she said.

If passed by the full council a report due in April would also propose ways to help drivers provide information to potential victims about services.

Other cities have explored similar legislation.

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