The Ohio Department of Public Safety has created a new human trafficking dashboard that combines data from several state agencies into a centralized location to increase accessibility for the public, policy makers, and researchers.
The new dashboard is available on the DataOhio Portal, and houses data that was previously maintained separately by the Ohio departments of Children and Youth, Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Rehabilitation and Correction, and Youth Services. The Department of Public Safety said it will add its data to the dashboard in the coming months.
Each of the agencies that previously maintained their own data are part of the Governor’s Human Trafficking Task Force.
“Combining this agency-specific data for the first time helps to identify and connect survivors to services in a more comprehensive way,” said Gov. Mike DeWine. “The new dashboard will also help develop a more accurate picture of the number of survivors by addressing duplicates in data.”
The state agencies worked with InnovateOhio to bring together the disparate sources of human trafficking data. The governor’s office said additional benefits of the data project include raising awareness about human trafficking, improving outreach, and devoting appropriate resources where needed.
Users can access anonymous data about potential and confirmed survivors of human trafficking, filter information by demographics to better understand the characteristics of survivors served in state systems, and view a statewide and county perspective of human trafficking.
“The new dashboard will help identify gaps in system screening and reporting,” said Kelli Cary, State Anti-Trafficking Director within the Office of Criminal Justice Services at the Ohio Department of Public Safety. “That added capability will bring to bear the collective resources of the participating state agencies to better serve survivors that we are missing.”
