SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A first-of-its-kind study in California reveals there were more than 13,000 sex trafficking victims in Sacramento County between 2015 and 2020.
“We really didn’t have a grasp of the scale of the problem and therein lied the challenge,” said Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra.
The study is meant to determine the prevalence of sex trafficking in Sacramento County. The results were released by Guerra Wednesday night. Officials say the data will allow leaders to respond aggressively.
“We can increase the capacity of our organizations to respond appropriately to the crisis," Guerra said. "We can help victims escape their traffickers, and rebuild stability and rebuild their lives.”
Just this year, the Sacramento Police Department completed a month-long crackdown on sex trafficking.
One-by-one, the sting operation netted multiple arrests with the focus being on tackling the demand side of human trafficking. The operation included detectives posing as sex workers online. 55 arrests were made. Guns and drugs were also seized.
"We've done operations in Folsom, in Roseville, in Rocklin - in places you would think this would not happen," said Detective Jason Collins with the Sacramento Police Department.
Sex workers also revealed they are finding work on the street and online at a pretty equal rate.
"You know it used to be there was the creepy van in the neighborhood, but now the creepy van has a cute puppy profile picture on Instagram," said Maggy Krell, a veteran prosecutor. "They are liking your posts and sliding in your DMs. Kids really need to be wary of that, especially teenagers."
The study was led by the group Community Against Sexual Harm. It was done in collaboration with a research Institute and the Sacramento State University Institute for Social Research. Read the full study HERE.
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