DPS Highlights IPC Program Ahead of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is spotlighting its Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) program ahead of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Sunday, Jan. 11. IPC is a human trafficking and crimes against children program that trains front-line officers to recognize indicators that a child may be a victim, at risk of victimization or missing. 

“Protecting children from exploitation requires more than awareness — it requires trained officers who know what to look for and how to respond,” said Training Operations Division Chief Derek Prestridge. “Through the IPC program, DPS is equipping law enforcement with the tools to recognize the warning signs, take swift, victim-centered action and work across agencies to rescue children to hold offenders accountable.”

Throughout 2025, DPS’ IPC personnel delivered training across four states and conducted international training in Canada on two occasions with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The department taught 18 IPC basic courses and four Train-the-Trainer courses, training 695 students and certifying 38 new IPC instructors. IPC personnel also presented at 29 conferences, reaching more than 2,700 attendees. 

In the field, IPC training continued to produce measurable results. In 2025, 57 DPS Troopers reported calling in IPC-related traffic stops, resulting in 23 child rescues.

Additional 2025 highlights include:

• IPC delivered three Texas Patrol Operation Briefings, including sessions for the South Texas Human Trafficking Task Force in McAllen, Army Fort Hood leadership in Florence and Texas Highway Patrol personnel in Canton. An IPC traffic enforcement initiative followed the Canton briefing.
• In February and September 2025, IPC conducted Train-the-Trainer courses in Canada, certifying 22 instructors within the RCMP.
• In March 2025, a Texas DPS Trooper initiated a traffic stop involving an adult male and a female child. Using IPC training, the Trooper recognized indicators that the child was at risk and coordinated with the Criminal Investigations Division and Texas Rangers. The child made an outcry, was placed into emergency protective custody and then safely returned to her legal guardian. Federal charges for enticement of a minor and production of child pornography were filed against the male suspect.
• In October 2025, IPC secured more than $174,000 in additional funding through a U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to support continued program expansion.
• IPC formalized a partnership with the Human Trafficking Institute to enhance collaboration, investigative strategies, specialized training and victim-centered enforcement efforts across Texas.
• The Australian Institute of Criminology and the Australian Government recognized IPC with a Silver Award at the 2025 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards.
• IPC partner Queensland Police Service trained more than 230 officers through eight IPC courses in 2025, leading to five child rescues and the submission of 106 IPC intelligence reports.

Since its inception, IPC training has contributed to the rescue of thousands of trafficking victims and the initiation of hundreds of criminal investigations nationwide. In Texas alone, more than 640 children have been rescued and more than 400 criminal investigations have been initiated. 

More About IPC 

DPS developed the IPC program to help front-line law enforcement officers identify and rescue endangered or exploited children and identify those who pose a high-risk threat to a child. While law enforcement officers are well-trained and highly proficient in making observations of suspicious behaviors leading to arrests and successful interdictions of illicit drugs, weapons and currency, this program works to expand their training and knowledge so they can take a victim-centered approach in working child victimization cases and identifying those who offend against children. 

IPC is a comprehensive training course covering topics from understanding victims and offenders, legal issues and authority, working with children, the officer’s role to understanding indicators, intelligence reporting as well as identifying and working with local/state resources such as child and victim services. 

As of November 2025, IPC has trained more than 15,000 law enforcement officers and child service professionals in over 40 states, U.S. territories and tribal nations. The program’s core message is to Stop Waiting for Children to Ask for Help.

Learn more about how to request IPC training, here.

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