Lanett Declares January Human Trafficking Prevention Month
BY JOHN BRICE
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — January was proclaimed “Human Trafficking Prevention Month” by the Lanett City Council during its meeting Monday evening.
District 4 Council Member Charles Bagley was joined by Circle of Care Assistant Director Adrian Carpenter for the reading of the proclamation.
“Whereas human trafficking is a public health issue and a crime that harms the health and well-being of children, individuals, families and communities, often across generations; and
“Whereas human trafficking can happen to anyone in every community; and
“Whereas human trafficking is connected to many forms of violence and exploitation and often shares common risk factors, such as limited resources and unsafe environments; and
“Whereas strengthening communities requires collaborative action to prevent, recognize and reduce the conditions that contribute to exploitation and to create environments where people are protected from human trafficking and other forms of violence; and
“Whereas a successful response to human trafficking requires a coordinated, community-wide effort that includes collaboration across sectors and with those who have experienced human trafficking to ensure services and programs are effective and meet the needs of survivors; and
“Whereas every individual, family, community and organization can help raise awareness, prevent trafficking and support survivors by learning how to take action; and
“Whereas the city of Lanett seeks to be recognized as a trafficking-free zone, showing its commitment to action, awareness and partnerships to comprehensively address the issue of human trafficking;
“Now therefore, I, Mayor Jamie Heard, as Mayor of the City of Lanett, do hereby proclaim January 2026 as Human Trafficking Prevention Month and reaffirm the city’s commitment to awareness, training and education related to human trafficking.”
Later in the meeting, District 1 Council Member Denise Zachery addressed the council regarding a pressing concern facing the city.
“Mayor, I would like to challenge you,” Zachery said. “The city of Lanett is filthy. I have been riding around and looking at different areas, and we have got to do better. We can do better. We need to put our ordinance forth as soon as possible and get a committee formed so we can deal with this situation, because it has gotten out of hand. It is embarrassing for people to come into Lanett and see what we have to deal with. There is already an ordinance on the books regarding nuisance issues. What we need to do is enforce it.”
In other business
• District 2 Council Member Krisse Story praised city employees for responding to water and sewage issues, including replacing meters to address water loss.
• Bagley informed the council that he had written a first draft of a new ordinance addressing blight in the city.
• District 5 Council Member Kim Roberts urged residents to use caution while traveling on South Fifth Street due to the installation of new gas lines.
The next council meeting for the city of Lanett will be held Monday, Jan. 19.
