California law enforcement arrested 120 people,including 105 in San Diego County,during a six-day operation last week targeting suspected commercial sex buyers and suspected human traffickers in four counties,California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday during a news conference in San Diego.
Dubbed “Operation Stand on Demand,” the targeted effort began Jan. 19 and continued through Saturday, resulting in 25 arrests for suspected solicitation and eight for suspected pimping, according too Bonta. The other 87 arrests were made on suspicion of loitering, under a new state law that went into effect Jan. 1 that criminalizes loitering for the purpose of purchasing sexual services.
“The operation was based on targeted law enforcement,surveillance of identified locations and the deployment of undercover agents,all with the goal of identifying sex buyers,traffickers and exploiters of people for profit,” Bonta said. “This work is not just about arrests, but about intervention, accountability and helping survivors begin the path to safety, recovery and healing.”
District Attorney Summer Stephan said members of the San Diego County Regional Human Trafficking Task Force made 105 arrests and citations locally in known trafficking “hot spots” in San Diego, National City, santee and San Marcos.
Those people “thought they were going to buy a human being like they were a hamburger or a slice of pizza,” Stephan said. “Instead, they were met with the power (of the task force)… to make sure their plans did not go awry and that the message was clear: Human beings are not for sale.”
In a statement, Stephan called the loitering law that went into effect on New Year’s Day a new tool that law enforcement officials can use to “hold individuals more accountable for these crimes than ever before.”
Both Stephan and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria sponsored the legislation, Assembly Bill 379, before Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it into law last year. The new law makes loitering with the intent to purchase sex a misdemeanor. It also makes it a serious crime for an adult to solicit sex from a 16- or 17-year-old person.
Bonta, Stephan and others who spoke Monday emphasized that last week’s operation targeted traffickers and buyers, while offering services to victims and survivors.
“Focusing attention on survivors and targeting law enforcement against buyers and traffickers addresses the root of exploitation,” stated San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert.”These collaborative efforts make clear that buying sex fuels exploitation, and our partners across agencies are aligned to hold perpetrators accountable and ensure survivors have access to safety and services.”
Bonta said survivors of human trafficking and sex trafficking face coercion, fear, fraud and violence.
“too often they are treated as criminals instead of victims,” Bonta said. “That’s why California’s focus is on reducing demand, dismantling trafficking networks and providing meaningful support to survivors.”
The operation, which involved personnel from at least 18 law enforcement agencies, also targeted suspects in Sacramento, Fresno and Tulare counties, authorities said. It was held during Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Original story:
“Anti-sex trafficking operation nets 105 arrests in San Diego targeting would-be buyers” – San Diego Union-Tribune