Tom Stack — Instructor Profile

About Tom Stack

Tom Stack is a nationally recognized human trafficking investigator, instructor, and former Vice detective with more than 26 years of law enforcement experience. Unlike many presenters in the trafficking space, Tom’s expertise was built through years of hands-on investigations, undercover operations, victim-centered casework, and courtroom testimony — not simply research or policy discussion.

Tom began his law enforcement career in 1986 with the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation before joining the Montgomery County Department of Police in 1988. During his career, he served in patrol, a plain clothes street crimes unit, and spent 14 years assigned to the Vice and Intelligence Unit, where he became one of the region’s leading investigators in prostitution and human trafficking cases.

Throughout his career, Tom investigated and assisted in more than 450 prostitution and human trafficking investigations involving Latino brothels, Asian massage parlors, domestic minor sex trafficking, labor trafficking, internet-based prostitution operations, and organized “john” stings. He conducted numerous undercover operations and developed extensive experience identifying trafficking indicators that many officers overlook in everyday policing.

Tom also served as a Federal Task Force Officer with the FBI Maryland Child Exploitation Task Force, where he was one of the lead investigators in the landmark United States vs. Jeremy Naughton human trafficking case. The multi-year federal investigation resulted in the conviction and sentencing of a violent trafficker to 36 years in federal prison.

Recognized as an expert witness in Maryland Circuit Court, District Court, and Federal Court, Tom has testified before the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate on prostitution and human trafficking issues. His experience extends far beyond investigations alone — he has helped shape statewide policy, train thousands of officers across the country, and build collaborative anti-trafficking initiatives that continue today.

Tom previously served as the Human Trafficking Policy Analyst for the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, where he helped oversee Maryland’s anti-trafficking efforts, developed statewide training initiatives, and contributed to Safe Harbor policy development for child trafficking victims.

Today, Tom serves as the Anti-Human Trafficking and Sexual Assault Response Manager for the City of Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement. He also co-chairs the Baltimore City Human Trafficking Collaborative, which received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Combating Trafficking of Persons for the Mercy Medical Center “Blue Dot Human Trafficking Initiative.”

A certified police instructor through the Maryland Police Training Commission, Tom has presented nationally and internationally, including trainings in Thailand, Russia, and El Salvador. He has instructed at the National Crimes Against Children Conference, the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators Conference, and numerous law enforcement conferences throughout the United States.

Tom is also featured in the award-winning HBO documentary Black and Missing.

His course, Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking Interdiction, focuses on real-world identification, interdiction, and investigative strategies officers can immediately apply in the field. Tom’s instruction is grounded in practical experience, case development, and the realities officers face every day — making his training credible, actionable, and respected by agencies nationwide.