Attorney General Knudsen relaunches Montana human trafficking hotline and expands reporting tools

HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen today relaunched Montana’s existing human trafficking hotline and announced the state will be utilizing a new application and website that will allow Montanans to report suspected human trafficking online. The new reporting platform – Simply Report – will make it easier for the public to report suspected cases and improve law enforcement response times following reports.

Simply Report was developed and is run by Safe House Project, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to combatting human trafficking. In addition to calling the hotline number at 1-833-406-STOP, Montanans can now report human trafficking on simplyreport.com or by downloading the Simply Report mobile application. The application is free and can be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The platform provides the Montana Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Unit access to reports of human trafficking made via the hotline at 1-833-406-STOP, simplyreport.com, or the Simply Report mobile application in real time. Through a dashboard, agents can monitor tips and dispatch law enforcement officers to the scene to investigate more quickly. As the program expands, local law enforcement officials will also have the opportunity to gain access to the reports in their area to further improve response times.

“For too long in Montana, human trafficking flew under the radar and was regarded as a crime that only happens in larger cities across the country. We’re finally changing that narrative,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “Over the last five years, we’ve made it a priority at the Montana Department of Justice to raise awareness on the dangers of human trafficking, bring survivors home, and hold traffickers and patrons of sex trafficking accountable. I look forward to working with Simply Report as their platform will provide a more efficient way for Montanans to report trafficking and improve law enforcement response times so we can end human trafficking in Montana. I’m very grateful for their investment in our state.”

“Attorney General Knudsen has made it clear that Montana will not tolerate trafficking — and now he’s given his state the tools to prove it. Simply Report removes the barrier that stops most people from acting on what they see. You don’t have to be certain. You have to be concerned. The system vets the information, gets it to the right law enforcement partners, and when a victim is identified, our team is there to help them get to safety and access care. That intelligence also builds prosecutable cases against traffickers and buyers. Victim-centered response and criminal accountability aren’t in tension — they’re the same system working the way it’s supposed to. Montana is leading the way,” Safe House Project CEO and Co-Founder Kristi Wells said.

The platform also helps users recognize warning signs, while allowing them to anonymously report indicators of trafficking directly to authorities. Simply Report does not require a user to share their location or identity. All reports to the hotline and online-based Simply Report tools will be initially reviewed by an artificial intelligence-assisted tool that gathers the necessary details immediately. The technology will help identify high-priority tips using behavior-based analysis and survivor-informed criteria to help law enforcement decide on appropriate next steps to help find survivors and bring them home.

In addition to streamlining the reporting process and improving response times, Simply Report will provide officials with the statistics to better track and measure the scope of human trafficking in Montana communities.

Previously, the human trafficking hotline was operated by The LifeGuard Group who originally launched the hotline in 2019. Since starting the hotline, the organization has answered 637 calls, text messages, and live chats. Recently, the hotline number was transferred to the Montana Department of Justice. The existing number will not change – Montanans can still call 1-833-406-STOP to report human trafficking.

“From the very beginning, our vision was not just to start a hotline, but to stand it up, demonstrate the very real need for it across Montana, and ultimately help transition it to a more permanent, sustainable home where it could continue to grow and evolve. We have always believed this work required long-term infrastructure and statewide support,” LifeGuard Group CEO and co-found Lowell Hochhalter said. “We are deeply grateful for the role we’ve been able to play in laying that foundation, and we fully support the Attorney General’s efforts to expand reporting tools, improve response capabilities, and strengthen Montana’s fight against human trafficking. It is our hope that what was built over these past six years will continue to serve as a strong foundation for what comes next. We are excited to see these new tools and resources in action and support it wholeheartedly.”

“The LifeGuard Group did some incredible work over the last few years with the hotline and I’m very grateful for their commitment to ending human trafficking in Montana,” Attorney General Knudsen said.

In 2025, Department of Justice agents worked 64 human trafficking-related cases in Montana and opened 21 investigations that have been or will be submitted for prosecution. Of those 21 cases, 11 were sex trafficking, six were labor trafficking, two were human smuggling, and two were illicit massage businesses.

Attorney General Knudsen has made it a priority of his administration to stop human trafficking in Montana. Last month, he co-sponsored the GRIT conference in Billings which brought together professionals from across the Rocky Mountain region together to tackle rural challenges and discuss solutions to combat human trafficking and exploitation.

He has increased human trafficking training for county attorneys, Montana Highway Patrol troopers, and cadets at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. In 2024, he launched a curriculum to educate Montana students on the dangers of human trafficking, which features human trafficking survivors and DCI agents who are on the front lines combatting human trafficking.

In 2023, his office helped write and pass House Bill 112, which increased the penalties for sex traffickers and patrons of sex trafficking. It also provides prosecutors with more tools to prosecute sex traffickers and expands the definition of human trafficking and has helped intensify the crackdown on the sexual abuse of children and all victims.

Make sure you know the signs as potential indicators of sex trafficking may include:

• Young person that is very hesitant to engage in conversation. Eyes are always downcast, avoiding eye contact, especially with men. Poor physical state…tired, malnourished, or shows signs of physical abuse or torture.
• Seems to have trouble responding to what their name is or what location (city or even state) they are in. (Victims’ names are often changed, as are their whereabouts. They typically do not stay in one location for long – at times for 24 hours or less).
• Wearing clothes that do not fit the climate or the situation such as short shorts or skirts, tank tops, and no jacket in the middle of winter.
• Lack of control over money, personal possessions like bags, IDs, or documents. May also be carrying very few possessions in a plastic bag.
• May be accompanied by a dominating person, or someone they seem fearful of. That controlling person may also be someone who does not seem to “fit,” such as a much older individual, an individual of a different race, or with behavior seemingly inappropriate with the suspected victim.
• Young girl or boy hanging around outside a convenience store, truck stop, casino, or other location. May be approaching different vehicles or men they do not seem to know.

If you believe you witness human trafficking:

• If the situation is an emergency, call 911.
• Do not intervene if you see suspected trafficker(s). Remain at a safe distance or in your vehicle.
• In non-emergency situations, call or text 1-833-406-STOP (1-833-406-7867), visit simplyreport.com.
• When possible, take images with your cellular device of the suspected trafficker(s), victim(s), and vehicle license plate(s).