NORTH TONAWANDA — Aiming to better identify human trafficking cases in Western New York, members of nine area law enforcement agencies hit the books Wednesday.

More than 40 officers and investigators from police departments across Erie and Niagara counties, as well as one in Ontario, attended a training session on the topic in Sweeney Hose Fire Company in North Tonawanda.

Law enforcement officials hope to give frontline personnel information to help them learn the signs and signals of people who may be living in situations of forced sex or labor.

“This training provides tools to law enforcement that are long overdue,” said Capt. Kristen Neubauer of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, tools that will allow agencies to use “a more holistic approach” in dealing with this type of victimization.

The region has seen a few high-profile trafficking cases in recent years, including one in which three men pleaded guilty to transporting a woman across state lines for events sponsored by a national fraternal group, the Royal Order of Jesters.

In December 2007, investigators raided four massage parlors in Lockport, Niagara Falls, the Town of Tonawanda and Wheatfield after a 15-month investigation. Several people were convicted.

Wednesday’s session included instruction on the concepts, psychology and methods commonly seen in human trafficking cases, said Lockport Police Chief Lawrence Eggert.

“You can see that it affects all levels of our society,” Eggert said, “and it’s finally coming into view, something that we can focus on.”

The training is needed because local police agencies have too often relied on federal authorities to work on the problem, officials said.

“Local police departments have become the forefront of every criminal investigation,” said North Tonawanda Police Chief Randy D. Szukala, “and something that affects our residents is something that we need to be aware of and need to be better trained so that we can serve our public.”

The Buffalo Niagara region, because of its proximity to an international border, is a prime location for human trafficking, officials said.

Since a new state law governing human trafficking was passed in November 2007, the International Institute in Buffalo has helped 30 victims and dealt with about 75 potential victims, said Amy Fleischauer, the organization’s director of victim services.

Some area cases have included victims being locked in basements, forced to have abortions, and one in which a victim was raped as many as 15 times a day, Fleischauer said. “They live as slaves under horrific conditions,” she said.

Personnel from these police agencies participated in Wednesday’s training: Amtrak, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Lockport, State Police, Niagara County Probation, Niagara Falls, Niagara Regional Police and North Tonawanda.

State officials said they will continue to provide training across New York.

“There’s so much out there that needs to be investigated,” said Andra Ackerman, director of human trafficking prevention and policy at the state Division of Criminal Justice Services and one of the trainers at Wednesday’s session.