When Shane Erickson was just 9 years old, his best friend was abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered by a repeat sex offender. It’s hard to imagine the trauma that a 9-year old boy would experience from something like that. But Shane made a promise to himself. He was going to get into public service and help children and victims any way he could.
And that’s just what he did. Shane earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Kaiser University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and served the Whitefish Police Department for eleven years as a detective. He spent his days interrogating suspects and writing search warrants… reacting to crime instead of preventing it. He knew there was more he could do.
Then he met Nic and Jeremy from DeliverFund last July. He knew he had found his place and his mission in life.
“I heard the stories (about what DeliverFund is doing) and knew this was something I wanted to be part of in some capacity,” Shane says. “Jeremy and Nic, their morals, their values, their beliefs lined up perfectly with mine. Their goals are my goals in this, as well.”
To fight crime proactively, rather than reactively is redemptive for Shane after losing his best friend to a horrendous crime. Today, he spends his days scouring sex advertising websites for information on girls who look like they’re being trafficked, using intelligence tools to find out who’s behind those ads, and then handing those intelligence reports over to local police to make their jobs easier.
“DeliverFund is dependent on the best analysts to fight human traffickers and rescue victims,” says Jeremy. “Our mission is completely dependent on people. Finding someone like Shane, whose purpose in life has been forged from past tragedy, is what makes him such a special, driven warrior in this battle,” he continued. “It’s not just a hobby, hoping to do some good. It’s a full-time mission of crushing evil.”
Having someone with Shane’s professional background on the team will help DeliverFund do an even better job of serving law enforcement as the organization continues to expand.
“I know exactly what they’re dealing with and the headaches and hurdles they have to overcome to put a case together,” Shane says. “I’ll be able to relate to them on a one-to-one basis about what they need and what they think is productive.”
