Arkansas
Arkansas organizations working together to end human trafficking
JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Human trafficking is a crime hidden in plain sight affecting thousands across the nation and Region 8.
In Arkansas, the battle against human trafficking is gaining momentum thanks to organizations across the state.
At the forefront is the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council, led by Arkansas State Police Sergeant Matt Foster.
The council includes local non-profits and state authorities coming together to perform operations against human trafficking. Their goal is to raise awareness and provide support to victims.
“You know, if not us then who?” said Foster. “I believe, after three operations we identified there’s a problem and now it’s starting to find those solutions.”
Foster has been leading the charge in the statewide fight against human trafficking and wants everyone to understand how much each community means to the cause.
“In Hot Springs, Jonesboro, we pick out a hotel; a hotel owner will help us with the rooms for the operation,” he explained. “Garland County has a human trafficking task force. That task force was able to provide us with food and drinks for our law enforcement operation that night. So, whenever we have our briefing, we’re all fed. In Jonesboro, we had a local church donate the food to us. I’m so thankful for all the community involvement and all the troopers and all the victim services that travel into these communities.”
While they have already conducted a few operations, the fight isn’t over.
Organizations like Hope Found of Northeast Arkansas and its director Megan Brown are still working locally day in and day out to raise awareness about who trafficking can happen to and how it can happen.
“Traffickers are looking for those with noticeable vulnerabilities, so they prey on vulnerable populations,” said Megan Brown. “That means our kids, that means people that are homeless, that are addicted to drugs, that are in some kind of state of desperation, and they need help. And here comes a trafficker trying to exploit that vulnerability.”
Because of the need to increase awareness, spotting someone in one of these situations can be hard to do.
Brown emphasized that many victims of human trafficking are not chained up and held captive all the time.
“It does happen, but it’s all about the mental chains that they’re enduring,” she said.
If you notice anything out of the ordinary with someone close to you, Sergeant Foster encourages you to ask questions and get to know their situation better. He also urges reporting anything suspicious.
“Reporting is the most important thing, in what the public can do,” Foster said. “So we can respond to that incident and might be able to save someone’s life, might be able to save a child’s life. Understand, human trafficking is here. It’s in Arkansas.”
Both Brown and Sergeant Foster want everyone to remember that human trafficking is a prevalent issue in rural areas as well as large cities. They both want everyone to come together and give victims their voice back.
“It’s all about choice, giving this individual a choice for the first time in a long time,” Foster said. “It’s just a powerful thing to see everybody, arms working for one goal.”
For more information on indicators and how to report possible human trafficking, visit the websites for the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and Hope Found of NEA.
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Temperatures will climb to the upper 90s today and heat index values will get close to 105° this afternoon. There are heat advisories today for part of west and southwest Arkansas.
Today will bring a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms late in the day in Central Arkansas.
Friday will also bring a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms with very hot weather.
Rain chances increase and temperatures drop this weekend when a cold front moves through Arkansas.
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A former Arkansas Tech University graduate and commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command is being remembered with two posthumous honors recognizing his lasting influence on the nation’s military intelligence operations.
The late Maj. Gen. Gary W. Johnston, a 1987 Arkansas Tech graduate and Russellville native, was honored during a dedication ceremony June 25 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where the Army officially named a newly consolidated military intelligence complex the Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility.
Johnston also was posthumously inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame for helping reshape Army intelligence through the integration of emerging technologies, including big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The new facility serves as a central hub for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) operations at Fort Huachuca, known as the “Home of Army Intelligence.” It houses some of the Army’s most critical intelligence personnel and brings together units that had previously operated from aging buildings spread across the installation.
Army officials said the previous arrangement created operational challenges, including limited secure workspaces, outdated infrastructure and additional security requirements. Beginning in 2018, INSCOM launched an effort to consolidate those missions by renovating two existing buildings into a 16,300-square-foot intelligence operations center designed to improve collaboration and security.
The facility now houses INSCOM G3’s Detachment 52, elements of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, representatives from the Ground Intelligence Support Activity, an emerging Foundry program element and other intelligence organizations.
Among those attending the dedication were Johnston’s wife, Brig. Gen. Amy Johnston, daughter Lauren Woodworth and granddaughter Arabella Woodworth.
Maj. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, said the building represents more than a new workplace.
“As we dedicate the U.S. Army INSCOM Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility, we do more than just open a new facility… we consecrate a tribute to his indelible legacy,” Cox said. “This facility will stand as a constant reminder of his service, his vision and his unwavering commitment to our nation and to the soldiers he led. It will inspire future generations of intelligence professionals to emulate his example of leadership and selfless service.”
Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin Boughton, former INSCOM command chief warrant officer, said Johnston envisioned closer collaboration between the Army’s intelligence training and operational communities.
Boughton said Johnston believed the distance between the Intelligence Center of Excellence and INSCOM’s operational units “shouldn’t be measured in miles,” but instead by “a seamless flow of data, doctrine, and talent” where operational experience and institutional knowledge move freely between soldiers in the field and those training the next generation.
Johnston graduated from Russellville High School in 1983 before earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Arkansas Tech in 1987. Through the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, he received his commission as a U.S. Army officer.
During a military career spanning more than 34 years, Johnston served in command and staff assignments ranging from platoon level to senior leadership within the Army and Department of Defense. He deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
In 2015, Johnston became the seventh graduate of Arkansas Tech’s Army ROTC program to attain the rank of general officer. He was promoted to major general in 2017.
He concluded his military career as commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, overseeing approximately 17,500 personnel operating in more than 40 countries.
Army leaders credited Johnston with helping modernize military intelligence by laying the groundwork for the establishment of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, which was formally created in 2022 after his retirement. He also led development of what became the Army Intelligence Data Platform, designed to incorporate advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning into intelligence operations while supporting future large-scale combat operations.
Johnston also promoted data science education within the military intelligence community by partnering with George Mason University to provide specialized training for Army warrant officers.
Colleagues remembered Johnston not only for his strategic vision but also for his leadership style. Despite working in one of the Army’s most demanding operational environments, they described him as a source of humor, kindness and encouragement whose focus remained on the soldiers, civilians and contractors carrying out the intelligence mission.
Johnston retired from active duty in 2021 and died in January 2022.
His latest recognitions add to previous honors from his alma mater. Johnston was a member of the inaugural Arkansas Tech Army ROTC Hall of Honor in 2017 and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Distinction in 2019.
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