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Libby Sharp, (512) 461-7036

January 28, 2020

Cornyn: DART to Receive $50K Federal Grant for Public Safety Campaign

WASHINGTON — Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will receive a $49,600 federal grant for a public safety campaign, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) announced today. DART will use this grant to conduct employee training and public education on preventing human trafficking on transit and for a summit with local, state, and federal partners to share information about human trafficking.

"I applaud DART's leaders who worked to secure this grant for making public safety for riders a top priority," said Sen. Cornyn. "Every one of us can play a role in keeping our community safe, and with this grant, the Trump Administration and Transportation Secretary Chao have demonstrated their continued commitment to North Texans."

"Since 2013, when we became one of the original transit agencies to sign the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking pledge, DART has worked to spearhead local awareness efforts on human trafficking," said Gary Thomas, DART President/Executive Director. "As one of the first transit agencies to provide training to spot indicators of human trafficking and how to report it to every employee, DART knows the importance of these programs. This funding provides us the opportunity to expand our public awareness efforts, provide training and education, and raise awareness among the traveling public along with the other members of our regional coalition of North Texas transportation entities."

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative, which funds innovative projects that assist transit systems in identifying and adopting specific measures to address public safety, including crime prevention, human trafficking, and operator assault. More information on this grant can be found here.