In conjunction with Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Pomona Police officers from the SETT (Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Team), SETT liaisons, and officers from Azusa PD participated in the annual ‘Operation Reclaim and Rebuild’ coordinated by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force.The Task Force had more than 50 participating federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies from across California.
The statewide effort aimed at combatting human trafficking was conducted in various mediums and met with positive results. The statewide operation yielded 518 total arrests, which included 266 sex buyers, 27 sex traffickers (pimps), and 190 commercial sex workers. Authorities rescued 87 victims, including 11 minors.
The Pomona Police Department contributed to this statewide effort by conducting direct enforcement along The Holt Ave. Corridor, an area commonly known for prostitution related activity, on February 1st, 2020. As a result of the operation, 4 women and 3 men were arrested for prostitution related crimes.
The Pomona Police Department takes a victim-centered approach in deterring human trafficking and prostitution in the City of Pomona. Operation Reclaim and Rebuild focused on rescuing victims of sexual slavery and human trafficking, providing victims with much-needed services, identifying and arresting their captors, seeking successful prosecutions, and disrupting the demand for vulnerable victims by targeting their customers.
