RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A prostitution sting conducted last week across Riverside County netted 101 arrests by law enforcement.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Murrieta Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office took part in implementing”Operation Reclaim & Rebuild,” which was conducted Jan. 22-25 and again on Jan. 27.
The operation was scheduled to coincide with National Human Trafficking Awareness Month “and serves as a reminder that human trafficking will not be tolerated in California,” the sheriff’s department reported.
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During the operation, 101 adults were arrested for solicitation of prostitution, pimping, pandering and other related crimes. Four juveniles were detained for solicitation of prostitution and released to their parents.
Various services and resources were provided and offered to eight rescued victims, according to the sheriff’s department.
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Arrestees were from western Riverside County, including Banning, Beaumont, Canyon Lake, Hemet, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Moreno Valley, Murrieta, Perris, Riverside, Temecula, Wildomar and Winchester, as well as cities across the Coachella Valley. Some arrestees were from outside the county, according to the sheriff’s department.
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Statewide, “Operation Reclaim & Rebuild” efforts netted 539 arrests and 65 rescues, the department reported.
“Prostitution is not a ‘victimless’ crime. Those victimized by commercial sexual exploitation frequently have long histories of emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse or trauma in their backgrounds,” according to the sheriff’s department.
“The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that 1 in 6 endangered runaways reported are likely victims of sex trafficking,” the agency continued. “Sex trafficking victims are often subjected not only to severe forms of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of their trafficker but are also frequently physically and sexually assaulted by those who solicit them for prostitution.”
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