Sex Trafficking Arrests
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A series of law enforcement operations throughout Riverside County targeting suspects seeking or engaged in illicit sexual services netted 112 arrests, authorities said Wednesday.
The county’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force joined other agencies statewide in Operation Reclaim & Rebuild, with the goal of cracking down on individuals allegedly involved in prostitution rings and escort services, most of them based online, as well as rescuing the victims.
The effort ran Jan. 26-Feb. 1 in Riverside County, with identical sweeps taking place in numerous other jurisdictions across California, according to Sgt. Jeff Hammond of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
“The operation targeted commercial sex work and those who demand these unlawful activities, which fuels an illicit underground economy,” Hammond said. “Often, individuals engaging in acts of prostitution are being forced to commit sexual acts against their will.”
Arrests were made in the Coachella Valley, as well as Banning, Beaumont, Calimesa, Corona, Eastvale, Hemet, Home Gardens, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Norco, Perris, Riverside, San Jacinto, Temecula and Winchester.
Most of the individuals apprehended in the county operation were booked on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution, pimping and pandering, though some had outstanding warrants and were in possession of controlled substances, according to Hammond.
“Various services and resources were provided and offered to 13 possible victims of human trafficking” the sergeant said, without disclosing who they were or whether any of them were minors.
He said Operation Reclaim & Rebuild netted a total of 547 arrests and 177 victim rescues statewide.
“Prostitution is not a `victimless crime,”‘ Hammond said. “Those victimized by commercial sexual exploitation frequently have long histories of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children estimates 1 in 6 endangered runaways are likely victims of sex trafficking.”
The operation was conducted as part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
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