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During the Summer (June Through August) Committees a=
re
generally not very active.
Speaker was Charles Bacarisse,
the District Clerk of Harris County, Texas, who is responsible for all of=
the
Clerks of the Harris County Criminal Courts (Felony and Misdemeanor) and =
the
Harris County Civil District Courts. His topic was Texas Historical Docum=
ents
on file in Harris County, Texas and their preservation.
The Officer of the Month was Houston Police Officer =
Emma
Rodriguez of the Juvenile Division’s Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit has b=
een
so successful in working with child victims that she was named to the
FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force as the main interviewer of child
prostitutes. The task force was formed to address the growing problem of
children forced into prostitution. Approximately 600 child prostitutes are
currently working on the streets of Houston
with a history of physical or sexual abuse. These children are usually
runaways, and often come from dysfunctional homes. Most child prostitutes
begin at the ages of 13 or 14 years old and become totally dependent upon
their abusive pimps. Their stories are repetitious of unimaginable abuse,
control and struggle for survival. As a result, the children are scared a=
nd
reluctant to cooperate with authorities. Officer Rodriguez patiently and
skillfully overcomes these barriers, and is able to gain their trust and
confidence. Her professionalism and dedication as an investigator, and her
talent in communicating with child victims, resulted in the identificatio=
n of
children subjected to sexual exploitation. In 2006, in addition to working
197 juvenile sex crime cases and serving as a primary trainer for the
Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit, Officer Rodriguez identified 15 victims of child
prostitution. One victim was a 13-year-old who was taken from Dallas to California,
then to Houston<=
/st1:City>
within a month’s time and used by four different pimps. Having work=
ed
for hours to build the frightened child’s trust, the 13-year-old
disclosed that during her four days in Houston,
she had made $3,000 for prostitution that went entirely to her pimp. In
November of 2006, Officer Rodriguez interviewed a 15-year-old child
prostitute who had left home after being molested by a family member. The
child ended up under the control of a pimp who had burned and stabbed her.
Because of Officer Rodriguez’s ability to extract critical informat=
ion,
eight pimps are facing 17 charges inclusive of sexual assault of a child,
aggravated sexual assault of a child, promotion of prostitution and
compelling prostitution.
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