NORTH COUNTY TIMES
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to form a new advisory council to address human trafficking and child prostitution in the region, but details of how the panel will function are still being developed, officials said.
In November, the supervisors held a presentation on what law enforcement officials said is a growing problem in the region: gang involvement in prostitution and the use of underage girls as prostitutes. At the time, the supervisors asked county administrators to come up with a regional approach to address human trafficking and child prostitution.
At its meeting Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the creation of the San Diego Regional Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Advisory Council and a steering committee to oversee it, but did not provide details about the committee.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who has been leading the effort to call attention to the problem and proposed the creation of the council, said law enforcement in the county has been fighting human trafficking through a federally funded anti-human-trafficking task force. The grant pays officers overtime to conduct anti-prostitution operations.
"There is definitely a need for a regional approach that provides for a full-time focus on this troubling and rapidly growing problem," Jacob said during the meeting.
North County has long been recognized by victims' advocates and law enforcement as a hub for sex trafficking. The county has three law enforcement groups addressing the problem ---- the North County Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, the FBI's Innocence Lost Task Force, and the San Diego Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.
In April, federal agents and police officers broke up a prostitution ring run by Oceanside gang members. Officers led by the FBI arrested 29 people in North County as a result of an 18-month, multiagency investigation
As part of the investigation, 30 minors, many of them runaways, were rescued, authorities said.
The advisory council will be made up of representatives from law enforcement agencies, victim services organizations, schools, and volunteer and community groups, Jacob said. It will report to a law enforcement steering committee.
However, no details were released on how many members the council will have, who would appoint them or who the members of the steering committee would be.
Those details will be worked out by the county, said Sgt. Jason King, who heads the San Diego Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.
"This is just the first step in creating the council," he said.
Jacob said during the meeting that the council would make its recommendations to the county Sheriff's Department and district attorney's office.
"Any recommendations that come out of this advisory council will be provided first and foremost to our sheriff and district attorney for their review and possible implementation," Jacob said.
Since 2007, the county's human trafficking task force has identified nearly 400 sex trafficking and prosecution victims. About 30 percent of those victims are minors, according to the Sheriff's Department. The task force has also identified more than 160 pimps, 44 percent of whom are documented gang members, authorities said.
The advisory council will focus on prevention strategies, protection of victims, prosecution of pimps, and partnerships with nonprofits to combat the problem, according to a two-page county document outlining the panel's mission.
The council will also explore the best way to address the root causes of human trafficking, standardize law enforcement training and procedures and improve victim services by creating a more coordinated approach to providing assistance, according to the county document.
Representatives of several nonprofits at Tuesday's meeting praised the supervisors' action.
"This council will help us to pool our various strengths and combine our talents so that we can together form a strong, cohesive and comprehensive team to fight this heinous crime and assist the victims to a new life," said Susan Munsey, executive director of Generate Hope, an organization that provides long-term housing and recovery services for victims of sexual exploitation.
Copyright 2011 North County Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.In November, the supervisors held a presentation on what law enforcement officials said is a growing problem in the region: gang involvement in prostitution and the use of underage girls as prostitutes. At the time, the supervisors asked county administrators to come up with a regional approach to address human trafficking and child prostitution.
At its meeting Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the creation of the San Diego Regional Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Advisory Council and a steering committee to oversee it, but did not provide details about the committee.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob, who has been leading the effort to call attention to the problem and proposed the creation of the council, said law enforcement in the county has been fighting human trafficking through a federally funded anti-human-trafficking task force. The grant pays officers overtime to conduct anti-prostitution operations.
"There is definitely a need for a regional approach that provides for a full-time focus on this troubling and rapidly growing problem," Jacob said during the meeting.
North County has long been recognized by victims' advocates and law enforcement as a hub for sex trafficking. The county has three law enforcement groups addressing the problem ---- the North County Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, the FBI's Innocence Lost Task Force, and the San Diego Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.
In April, federal agents and police officers broke up a prostitution ring run by Oceanside gang members. Officers led by the FBI arrested 29 people in North County as a result of an 18-month, multiagency investigation
As part of the investigation, 30 minors, many of them runaways, were rescued, authorities said.
The advisory council will be made up of representatives from law enforcement agencies, victim services organizations, schools, and volunteer and community groups, Jacob said. It will report to a law enforcement steering committee.
However, no details were released on how many members the council will have, who would appoint them or who the members of the steering committee would be.
Those details will be worked out by the county, said Sgt. Jason King, who heads the San Diego Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.
"This is just the first step in creating the council," he said.
Jacob said during the meeting that the council would make its recommendations to the county Sheriff's Department and district attorney's office.
"Any recommendations that come out of this advisory council will be provided first and foremost to our sheriff and district attorney for their review and possible implementation," Jacob said.
Since 2007, the county's human trafficking task force has identified nearly 400 sex trafficking and prosecution victims. About 30 percent of those victims are minors, according to the Sheriff's Department. The task force has also identified more than 160 pimps, 44 percent of whom are documented gang members, authorities said.
The advisory council will focus on prevention strategies, protection of victims, prosecution of pimps, and partnerships with nonprofits to combat the problem, according to a two-page county document outlining the panel's mission.
The council will also explore the best way to address the root causes of human trafficking, standardize law enforcement training and procedures and improve victim services by creating a more coordinated approach to providing assistance, according to the county document.
Representatives of several nonprofits at Tuesday's meeting praised the supervisors' action.
"This council will help us to pool our various strengths and combine our talents so that we can together form a strong, cohesive and comprehensive team to fight this heinous crime and assist the victims to a new life," said Susan Munsey, executive director of Generate Hope, an organization that provides long-term housing and recovery services for victims of sexual exploitation.
Posted in Sdcounty on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:30 pm Updated: 7:50 pm. | Tags: Region, Blotter, County Government, Human Trafficking
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