LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Four months to the day, the second Las Vegas Grand Prix storms the Strip. Eight months ago, police encountered hundreds of sexual assault and human trafficking victims throughout the first year’s race and practices.
Tina Gallegos said she took the calls from several of these victims requesting help in November 2023. It was a full-circle moment.
“I am actually a survivor of a sexual assault, and that gave me the want to advocate for others who may need some assistance,” Gallegos said at her desk Tuesday morning. “You don’t know how things are going to look like or what to even do at that point. You’re just blank.”
Formula One was her start.
She volunteered to answer the crisis hotline created by Signs of Hope, a Las Vegas nonprofit supporting the well-being of sexual assault and human trafficking survivors. Her shifts ran concurrently with the nighttime races and practices.
“They need to know where to go to get a sane exam,” Gallegos said, recounting the calls. “Or if they needed to get to the hospital because they had an incident. We would be there for them.”
The calls spanned beyond the circuit and all ages. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers encountered 215 people believed to be victims of sex trafficking, including five juveniles. This led to 74 arrests for pandering, attempting to purchase sex for money and luring a child/soliciting a minor.
Signs of Hope was selected by LVMPD’s Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force as its lead human trafficking nonprofit during race week, supplying its staff and over 60 volunteers to the crisis hotline or officers out in the field. Kim Small, CEO of Signs of Hope, says both kinds of volunteers were crucial.
“That was a focused outreach effort. If we had the resources behind us every week, we would see the same numbers, and I want to make it very clear that it’s not just Formula One,” Small said inside the Signs of Hope offices Tuesday morning, referencing the contacts and arrests made during race week. “When big events come to Las Vegas, we see an uptick in numbers.”
The nonprofit assumes the same role again this year but needs volunteers. Gallegos, now on the Signs of Hope staff as a crisis advocate, believes her recovery may have been less severe and traumatic if she had access to a service like this in the immediate aftermath of her incident.
“You often feel alone. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know where to turn,” Gallegos said.
“We don’t get nervous, we become proactive,” Small said. “Having someone there who is truly, genuinely interested in the wellbeing of the victim is important.”
Volunteers will primarily be utilized as crisis phone line operators this year, Small said. Those interested must be 18 years or older, a resident of Southern Nevada and pass a background check and drug screen.
More information and the online application are found on the Sign of Hope website.
