An audience sits facing a panel discussion in a wood-paneled conference room. Five panelists are seated at a long table on a raised stage, with one speaker standing at a podium to the left. An American flag and a California flag flank the stage, and red dresses and accessories are displayed prominently in front of the panel, symbolizing missing and murdered Indigenous people. Attendees sit at round tables, listening attentively under warm, indoor lighting.
Sand City Mayor Mary Ann Carbone, Vice Chair of the Tribal Council of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Patricia Miraz, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Monterey County DA Jeannine Pacioni and state Sen. John Laird speak at a press conference ahead of a training on the missing and murdered Indigenous people conference in Monterey, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2025. (Supporting Indigenous Communities Group via Bay City News)

MONTEREY, CA., 1/18/26 — Law enforcement agencies across California are marking January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and organizers of a recent Native and Indigenous-led training conference in Monterey are urging police departments, sheriff’s offices, and prosecutors to take advantage of opportunities to build trust with Native and Indigenous communities when they are offered.

There are resources available for law enforcement to help end a widely acknowledged — yet hardly recognized — crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in California. But police have to know about and take advantage of them to influence change.

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Thomas grew up in San Diego in the late 20th century and later earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Global Studies from CSUMB. He spent five years as a local broadcast journalist on California’s Central...