In an intensive effort dubbed Operation Disrupt the Demand, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, along with multiple agencies, has made significant headway in dismantling networks of sexual exploitation. According to a recent Nixle report, the county-wide crackdown, occurring between June 23 and June 27, led to 32 arrests related to the solicitation of prostitution, including one individual who solicited a minor and three for pimping and pandering offenses.
Throughout San Bernardino County, this task force, comprising the Gangs/Narcotics Division of the Sheriff’s Department, the San Bernardino Police Department, California Highway Patrol, County Probation Department, and the FBI, with support from victim advocacy groups, worked together to rescue three human trafficking victims, these victims were immediately provided with essential services and resources their being propelled into a life of unthinkable demands, lifted if only momentarily from the shadows of commodified flesh and silent pleas.
The Sheriff's Department declared a persistent commitment to eradicating the market for sex trafficking by vigorously pursuing both the supply and demand ends of this heinous trade. Authorities are maintaining an aggressive posture against those who commoditize human vulnerability. Sheriff Shannon D. Dicus affirmed in a statement, "We will aggressively identify, pursue, and apprehend those who seek to exploit these vulnerable victims."
The community stands as a critical ally in the ongoing battle against human trafficking if you have information about such activities, you are encouraged to contact the San Bernardino County Human Trafficking Task Force directly at (909) 387-8400 or via email at [email protected], for those preferring to remain anonymous can touch base with We-Tip at 1-888-78-CRIME or leave information on their website at www.wetip.com, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at (888) 373-7888, comes armed with a promise that every lead, every pointer, every hushed whisper in defiance of this dark trade is a potential bastion of hope for those still ensnared.
