2014-06-262014-05http://hdl.handle.net/2346/58668Abraham Lincoln took the first step on the road to the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1863 with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The ratification of the 13th amendment to the Constitution of the United States officially ended slavery in the United States and its territories. Yet, one can hardly read a newspaper without encountering reports of slavery or forcible prostitution. This study lays a foundation for the complications in dealing with the issue of human trafficking through the lens of the law enforcement agents who will likely come into contact with victims of human trafficking. This grounded theory study examined the intersection of law enforcement attitudes and access to treatment for victims of human trafficking. This study was conducted using qualitative research methods in order to attain an in-depth understanding of local law enforcement officers’ perceptions of human trafficking in the West Texas region. Grounded theory methodology was chosen due to the lack of research in the professional counseling literature on the research topic. Results of the research indicated that law enforcement officers perceive human trafficking and prostitution in similar terms. When asked about victim factors, law enforcement officers used terms such as, “mentally weak,” “addicted,” “ brainwashed,” and “mental deficits” to describe women susceptible to human trafficking. Officers did not believe that the average girl would be a target, but rather there was something already deficient in a women or girls who are trafficked. Analysis of the data resulted in five themes: (1) perception of choice, (2) interaction of law and law enforcement, (3) controlling organized crime, (4) hopelessness, and (5) police mentality. Additionally, officers overall indicated that they were not affected by human trafficking and were able to compartmentalize their jobs, however, law enforcement has suicide and interpersonal violence rates that are greater than those in the general population. Recommendations for further research include a longitudinal study of law enforcement perceptions of human trafficking beginning in the academy, a replication of this study with other emergency personnel, and increased multicultural inclusion in future studies.application/pdfengSex traffickingLaw enforcementSlaveryHuman traffickingProstitutionDissertation