Methuen has launched a human trafficking task force after the city directly or indirectly shut down nine massage parlors suspected as fronts for the crime, and the mayor urged other communities to do the same. “The message we have sent in declaring war on human trafficking is clear: Methuen is not a safe harbor for these criminal enterprises,” Mayor D.J. He said that the city is “advancing the toughest possible local rules to make Methuen utterly inhospitable to human trafficking.” That includes an investment in additional law enforcement technology, including license plate readers to work in tandem with surveillance of suspected human trafficking operations, as well as increased unannounced inspections of those locations. … If you engage in this vile activity, we will know who you are and we will hold you up to public shame.”Beauregard said that the problem of human trafficking is “bigger than Methuen.”“It’s a problem across Massachusetts. The announcement came following a busy week of closing suspected human trafficking massage parlors.