- More than 70 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies along with 10 task forces from across California participated.
- Twenty victims of human trafficking were located and rescued, including a 16-year-old female.
- During the operation, investigators also identified and successfully rescued 20 victims of commercial sex trafficking. Of those victims, there were 18 female adults, 1 male adult and 1 female juvenile (16 years old).
- Over the course of the operation, 106 suspects were arrested for violations associated with prostitution and other crimes.
HESPERIA, Calif. — In conjunction with National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force participated in the 6th annual ‘Operation Reclaim and Rebuild’ enforcement operation, organized by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force.
More than 70 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies along with 10 task forces from across California participated.
The seven-day, statewide effort aimed at combatting human trafficking, took place between Sunday, January 26 and Saturday, February 1, 2020.
Over a four-day period, the San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force conducted enforcement. Operations were conducted throughout the county and specifically within the cities of San Bernardino, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Hesperia and Victorville.
Specific areas were selected for enforcement by investigators, due to the high volume of activity and advertisements directly related to the commercial sex trafficking industry.
The operations consisted of street level enforcement, on-line advertisement enforcement and offender enforcement by state parole and county probation officers.
Over the course of the operation, 106 suspects were arrested for violations associated with prostitution and other crimes. Twenty victims of human trafficking were located and rescued, including a 16-year-old female.
Human Trafficking suspects often engage in other criminal acts. Investigators recovered three firearms and during one investigation, three suspects were arrested for violations related to commercialized sex industry. They were also found with stolen property and items related to identity theft.
During the operation, investigators also identified and successfully rescued 20 victims of commercial sex trafficking. Of those victims, there were 18 female adults, 1 male adult and 1 female juvenile (16 years old).
The San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force is made up of investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, Ontario Police Department, Redlands Police Department, California State Parole, Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Task Force efforts during the operation were also supported by participating officers from the Ontario Police Department, Redlands Police Department, San Bernardino Police Department, San Bernardino Sheriff’s Gangs/Narcotics Division, Sheriff’s Central Station, City of Rancho Cucamonga, City of Victorville, San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office, San Bernardino County Probation, California State Parole, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Victim support and services was provided by the Open-Door Program of San Bernardino. Open Door – Family Assistance Program is a non- profit organization which supports victims of human trafficking within the County of San Bernardino. The Open-Door Program empowers families, victims, and survivors who have been affected by human trafficking and/or sexual exploitation by providing the opportunity to heal and transform their lives. (www.familyassist.org)
Anyone wishing to report activities or concerns related to Human Trafficking to the San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force, can do so directly by calling (909) 387-8400 or by email at humantrafficking@sbcsd.org. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may contact We-Tip at 1-888-78-CRIME or you may leave information on the WE-Tip Hotline at www.wetip.com.
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