Giving Back Magazine February 2020 | Page 61

the United States. This meant targeting children before they could be trafficked. Saved In America would find the missing children, the runaways like Brittanee. In December 2014 SIA recovered its first child. The Saved In America team model consists of three pillars; 1. We never charge parents/guardians to find their children. 2. We do this voluntarily, refusing pay. 3. We only use former Special Operators and retired/ current Police Detectives who become Licensed and Insured Private Investigators. Saved In America currently has over 30 operators; all licensed and insured Private Investigators consisting of former Navy SEALs, Marine Recon Raiders, British SAS and retired Police Officers. In addition, SIA has an Executive Director, Legal Director, Director of Fundraising, Communications Director, Social Networking Investigator, Licensed Drone Operators and State Licensed Firearms Instructors. Since our initial operation in December 2014, Saved In America has assisted parents and law enforcement in more than 235 successful child recoveries. The approach and techniques used by Saved In America help guide the rest of the nation on how to stop child sex trafficking before it happens, by focusing on runaway and missing children. Saved In America has taught it’s investigative techniques to the Human Smuggling & Trafficking Center, Washington, D.C., Licensed Investigator Associations in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and for the Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California. Thank you ‘Terror Hunters’ for your inspiration, and in the remembrance of Brittanee Drexel, who started and continues to drive Saved In America’s work. On November 1, 2018 at the 2nd annual Saved In America ‘Child Saved Not Sold’ event in Del Mar, California, Saved In America awarded its first ‘Brittanee Drexel Scholarship’ to a survivor of Child Sex Trafficking. Brittanee’s mother Dawn presented the award. For further information or to support our mission, please visit our website www.SavedInAmerica.org. The Saved In America story has also been published in a book titled- “Investigation of Missing & Exploited Children: The Gateway to Child Sex Trafficking, 3rd Edition October 2019, available at LuLu.com. Executive Director Jospeh Travers, Supervisor Kristin Gaspar and Master Chief Kirby Howrrell FEBRUARY 2020 | GBSAN.COM 61