Folsom Police arrest 13 in prostitution, trafficking sting

In a coordinated operation with the Sacramento County District Attorneys' Office and countywide agencies, the Folsom Police Department recently made 13 local arrests for prostitution and human trafficking. The Folsom Police Department was participating in "Operation: Hot Spots." The orchestrated operation targets sex buyers, the demand side of human trafficking. The series of sting operations, taking place in various areas between September and mid-November, resulted in 46 total arrests countywide for the solicitation of prostitution and human trafficking. The total arrests this year is more than double the arrests made during the 2019 operation. During the operation, a Sacramento County juvenile was also recovered and rescued from a trafficking operation. Due to confidentiality and ongoing investigations, very little details on the rescue were made available, other than it took place outside of the local Folsom operation. "In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, human traffickers and sex buyers remain a significant public-safety threat," District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said in a statement. "We are committed to continuing sting operations through the Sacramento Together coalition to safely target sex traffickers and buyers as well as maximize our efforts to protect and serve victims of sexual exploitation." Joining with Folsom in the operation was the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, Sacramento Police Department, Rancho Cordova Police Department, Elk Grove Police Department, the California Department of Justice and Parole conducting street and hotel sting operations. The FBI, Probation Department and District Attorney investigators also participated. Victim advocates were also on scene to assist with services. According to Sgt. Lou Wright of the Folsom Police Department's Criminal Division, the Folsom portion of the operation took place during a single 10-hour period. A local hotel, which remains confidential, assisted the Police Department in the operation which started at noontime and concluded at 10 p.m. "The local hotel we utilized was very cooperative in assisting us with this operation," said Wright. "When we explained what we needed to do, they arranged a bank of rooms for us to set up our operation in and they were very accommodating." Wright explained that the operation consisted of a combination of tactics. After detectives set up the one-day operation at the hotel, detectives took to the internet where they posted ads to various websites specifically used by those seeking sex services. "We did a number of different operations, all of which are designed to ultimately deter future activity and hope to rescue victims of human trafficking," Wright said. "Our focus in these operations is always on rescuing victims." Wright shared several statistics from the single-day operation. In the 10-hour period, the Folsom Police Department received 200 responses to advertisements. They exchanged more than 1,000 text messages with potential customers and providers. In the end, 13 of those respondents were arrested as they followed through with arrival at the hotel. Wright noted that five of those who responded to the ads didn't follow through with their intentions and "got cold feet" when they reached the parking lot, dodging possible arrest. In addition to reaching out to potential sex purchasers from the local area, the Folsom Police Department reached out to internet-advertised sex providers. According to Wright, two different providers responded to their inquiries and arrived at the hotel where they were arrested for solicitation. Wright described what officers really seek when requesting a provider come to them. "We aren't necessarily trying to target the providers themselves as much as we are trying to rescue them from being human trafficked. Some of these women do this activity on their own but many of them are victims of an exploiter, which is what used to be referred to as a pimp," he said. "Our hope when we reach out to providers is that their exploiter, who is basically their boss, accompanies them or drives them to the location so we can make an arrest. These solicitation arrests result in misdemeanor, but when we can arrest an exploiter, that is a much more serious offense and can result in getting many of these women rescued. During this operation, the providers arrived on their own." Those who get convicted of such charges face a maximum penalty of 180 days in county jail, will be subject to search and seizure, and might be ordered to stay away from the involved locations or known "stroll" areas. Wright added that during the sting operation, additional charges were issued for possession of an illegal weapon, heroin and cocaine. The names and details of those arrested in the operation have not been released due to the ongoing investigation of those involved in the operation Several community organizations from the Sacramento Together Against Human Trafficking Coalition voiced the need for the operation, as sex buyers are those who fund and sustain the sex trafficking trade. Sacramento Together is a coalition of law enforcement, state and local public agencies, and more than 30 organizations. Sacramento County is targeted by human traffickers because of its proximity to larger cities, according to state Senator Dr. Richard Pan's office. California consistently has the highest human trafficking rates in the United States (see related story.) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Defining and spotting human trafficking What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is a serious crime and violation of human rights, involving the use of force, coercion or fraud to exploit a person into slave labor or sexual exploitation. Human trafficking can happen to all ages and genders, and any race or religious background. Women are often used for sexual exploitation while men are usually used for forced labor. It is said that one in five human trafficking victims are children, exploited for begging, child pornography or child labor. According to the Bureau of Justice, of the human trafficking cases reported between January 2008 and June 2010, sex trafficking victims were more likely to be white (26 percent) or black (40 percent), compared to labor trafficking victims, who were more likely to be Hispanic (63 percent) or Asian (17 percent). Victims frequently do not seek help due to language barriers, fear of their traffickers or fear of law enforcement. Because human trafficking is considered to be a hidden crime, several key indicators can help people recognize potential endangerment and notify law enforcement. The United National Office on Drugs and Crime said this list of indicators can help identify victims: * Appearing malnourished * Appearing injured or having signs of physical abuse * Avoiding eye contact, social interaction and law enforcement * Responding in manners that seem rehearsed or scripted * Lacking personal identification documents * Lacking personal possessions. A common misconception about human trafficking is that it does not happen in the United States. This is false, as the United States is ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. It is estimated that 199,000 incidents occur within the United States every year. The National Human Trafficking Hotline has one of the most extensive data sets on human trafficking in the United States collected through phone calls, texts, online chats, emails and online tips received by the hotline. While this information is some of the most comprehensive available, the data does not define the totality of human trafficking. The number of cases presented is only the cases that are reported. The Human Trafficking Hotline serves victims and survivors of human trafficking across the United States. The hotline is available 24/7, 365 days a year, and in more than 200 languages. The confidential hotline helps any person of any age, religion, race, language, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. To contact the Human Trafficking Hotline to report a tip, seek services or ask for help, dial 1-888-373-7888. Hearing and speech-impaired individuals should dial 7-1-1. You can also send an SMS text to 233-733 or start a live chat on the website. California consistently has the highest human trafficking rates in the United States with 1,507 cases reported in 2019, according data provided by the Bureau of Justice. Of these cases, 1,118 were sex trafficking cases, 158 were labor trafficking, and 69 were both sex and labor. The remaining cases were not specified. Most of the sex trafficking cases reported in California were illicit massage and spa businesses and hotel or motel based. Of the cases reported, 1,290 were female, 149 were male and 10 were gender minorities. California is trailed by Texas with 1,080 cases, Florida with 896 cases and New York with 454 cases. These four states with the highest human trafficking rates have the highest populations in the U.S., which can explain why their numbers of cases are significantly higher than other states, as well as very high immigrant populations. This, combined with certain industries such as agriculture, creates prime environments for forced labor.