Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Travers.
Hi Joseph, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
If Not I, Then Who?
Saved In America was not an idea, but a calling. “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.: Isaiah 6:8
On September 21, 2009 I was reading an article from the Orange County Register, “Retired Terror Hunters
Hope to End Child Sex Slavery”. This brought to mind the news I heard recently regarding a missing 17-year-old
girl who left her parent’s home in New York. Brittanee Drexel was last seen in a hotel video in South Carolina on
April 25th. Where was she?
As a former police detective and current Private Investigator, I have seen countless cases of missing
children. The statistics are grim and disheartening. I knew many children ended up being trafficked into human
slavery and felt compelled to meet the “Terror Hunters”, to see if there was a common good we could work
towards. I immediately made arrangements to meet these former special operations ‘Terror Hunters’. Through
a series of meetings, I met a former Navy SEAL who helped form Saved In America (SIA). It was decided after
several meetings and operations that SIA would focus on preventing gangbanger/pimp/predator/slave traders
from securing girls to traffic. This meant targeting children before they could be trafficked. Saved in America
would find the missing children, the runaways like Brittanee.
Saved In America now has over 20 operators; all licensed and insured Private Investigators consisting
of former Navy SEALs, Marine Recon Raiders, British SAS, and Police Officers. As of 2018, SIA has 34 total
people on staff. Four teams are special ops, in addition to the Executive Director, Legal Director, a Policy Director,
Special Operations Director, five retired police investigators, 16 retired special operators, 2 social networking
investigators, Drone operators and state firearms instructors. Saved In America has performed over 280 successful
child recoveries. In addition Saved in America now has a Reserve Component, a Quick Reaction Force (QRF) all over the nation. The QRF can be called upon at a moment’s notice to be the boots on the ground investigators wherever they are needed. The approaches and techniques used by Saved in America are documented here to help guide the rest of America on how to stop child sex trafficking before it happens.
Thank you ‘Terror Hunters’ for your inspiration, and in remembrance of Brittanee Drexel, who started and
continues to drive Saved In America’s work. On November 1, 2018 at the 2nd annual Saved In America awarded
its first ‘Brittanee Drexel Scholarship’ to a survivor of Child Sex Trafficking. Brittanee’s mother Dawn presented
the award.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The common struggle is a complete lack of shelters and rehabilitation facilities for the children we recover. Most are drug addicted and the facilities need to exclusively work with female children, as well as, be either a remote facility or a lock down facility (unfortunately, California and many other states will not permit lockdown facilities unless it is a state managed correctional facility). This is due to the organized crime element of the traffickers, who after a recovery continue to attempt to lure the child back to their slavery using drugs as bait.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
JOSEPH ANTHONY TRAVERS, CPI, CCDI, CMECI, a Member of the Human Trafficking Information Exchange Group, Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, Washington DC, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, and advanced to candidate for a Master’s of Science Degree with High Honors (4.0 GPA) from the California State University at Long Beach Graduate School of Criminal Justice Administration. Mr. Travers was also an Honor’s student (4.0 GPA) at Calvary Chapel Bible College. He is the President of the National Association for Missing & Exploited Children
Joseph Travers is the author of “Introduction to Private Investigation, Essential Knowledge and Procedures for the Private Investigator”, Charles Thomas Publishing 1995, 2nd Edition 2005, 3rd Edition 2015 (Listed in the United States Department of Justice- Office of Justice Programs), “The ORIGINAL Private Investigator’s Handbook & Almanac, CIA Investigation Academy Publishing 2010, 2nd Edition 2014, 3rd Edition 2016, 4th Edition 2022, “Investigation of Missing & Exploited Children: The Gateway to Child Sex Trafficking” 2017, 2nd Edition 2018, 3rd Edition 2019, 4th Edition 2020, and 10th Anniversary Edition 2025 the “Criminal Defense Investigator’s Handbook”, 2020, the “Information Technology & Internet Investigation Handbook”, 2021, “The Courtroom Testimony & Deposition Professional Investigator Handbook”, 2022, “Concepts & Approach for the Professional Investigator Handbook”, 2023, The Professional Investigator’s Narcotics Handbook, 2024, and The Professional Investigator’s Undercover Operations Handbook, 2025
An Honorably Discharged Veteran of the United States Navy, Mr. Travers is a certified Law Enforcement Professional, possesing professional certificates from the California State Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission; Basic, Intermediate, Advanced Officer Training, Hostage Negotiations, and Field Training Officer Certificates, as well as Loss Prevention and Private and Personnel Security experience as the Manager of Security, Southern California, for McDonnell Douglas Corporation.
Mr. Travers is a California State Licensed Investigator, since 1984, and his investigative work has been chronicled in People magazine twice, and on television stations such as CBS, NBC Nightly News, ABC, Fox News, San Diego 10, HBO VICE, Dove TV, Newsmax, Full Measure News, KUSI, One America News, NewsNation, The Daily Caller, and the TV movie and series Renegade. His work has also been recognized in the front-page headlines of newspapers around the country, including The Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, Riverside Press Enterprise, Los Angeles Daily News, Inland Empire Daily Bulletin, Orange County Register, OC Weekly, Veterans Magazine, San Diego Union Tribune, Risen Magazine, Canvas Rebel Magazine, and USA Today.
For ten years, Mr. Travers taught Professional Investigation, and served as Director of Education for U.S. Colleges Incorporated, the largest Private Investigation school in the country. He has testified as an expert witness and conducted investigations regarding Police Practices and Investigative Technique in California State and United States Federal Courts.
Mr. Travers is a Police/ Fire Commissioner for the City of Oceanside, California from 2008 to 2020. He is the former Chairman and Vice President for the Professional Investigators of California (PICA), a Member of the National Sheriff’s Association (NSA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Crimes Against Children Investigator’s Association (NCACIA), the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation (CESE), the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), the Council of Association Leaders (COAL), and former President for the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI), the Largest Private Investigation Association in the World, receiving the President’s Award in 2014 and the Investigator of the Year Award in 2015. Joseph Travers ministries include BiblesForMarines.com, Bibles for Frogmen, Born Again The Way Motorcycle Ministry and Saved In America. As Executive Director for Saved In America www.SavedInAmerica.org Pastor Travers has assisted parents and law enforcement with the recovery of over 280 young girls vulnerable to Child Sex Traffickers since December 2014
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Father to my wonderful son Joshua
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.savedinamerica.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savedinamerica/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savedinamerica
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saved-in-america-488305ab/
- Twitter: https://x.com/savedinamerica
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@savedinamerica
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/savedinamerica/_created/
