During Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Attorney General Bonta Announces the Results of Statewide Operation 'Stand on Demand'

SAN DIEGO - As part of a statewide, joint effort by over 18 law enforcement agencies, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the results of Operation "Stand on Demand". The operation occurred from January 19 to 24, across multiple counties throughout California with the goal of arresting sex buyers, helping trafficking victims, and ultimately, arresting traffickers. As a result of the operation, 120 total individuals were arrested. Of those arrested, 87 were for loitering, 25 for solicitation and eight for pimping and pandering. This operation is part of a regional strategy aimed at addressing human trafficking and sexual exploitation by concentrating on the demand for these illicit services. It involves targeted enforcement that depends on both the surveillance of identified locations and the deployment of undercover officers.

"This Human Trafficking Awareness month, the California Department of Justice spearheaded a statewide operation to protect the public and take a stand against the demand for sex trafficking - by holding perpetrators of human trafficking accountable and supporting survivors along the way," said Attorney General Rob Bonta. "It is vital that we carry out our goal in a manner that is trauma-informed and culturally competent. That's why our task force members receive specialized training and experience to appropriately handle these cases with the sensitivity, compassion, and the care they deserve. I am thankful for these strong partnerships up and down the Golden State and look forward to all that we can accomplish when we work together."

"Human traffickers exploit the most vulnerable, and stopping them requires a united front," said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. "Our office works hand-in-hand with our partners through the Sacramento Regional Human Trafficking Task Force to conduct operations that rescue victims and help them reclaim their lives while holding their traffickers accountable. This collaboration sends a clear message: we stand together to prevent the exploitation of anyone in our community."

"Operation Stand on Demand demonstrates the hard reality that sex trafficking remains a highly profitable criminal enterprise, driven by demand and generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year in San Diego County alone," said San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. "But during this most recent operation, we had a new tool in our toolbox - a law in effect since the beginning of the year that makes it a crime loiter for the purpose of purchasing sex. As a result, dozens of individuals were cited under the new law which is allowing us to hold individuals more accountable for these crimes than ever. I am proud of the work being done by the San Diego Regional Human Trafficking Task Force with the support of Attorney General Bonta and his agency, my office's Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division, and our dedicated partners who work around the clock to reduce demand and rescue victims - some as young as 12."

"Operations like Stand on Demand have a direct and meaningful impact here in San Diego County by targeting those who fuel human trafficking and sexual exploitation in our neighborhoods," said San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez. "Through strong local, state, and federal partnerships, we are working to reduce demand, hold offenders accountable, and connect victims with critical support services. Protecting our communities and standing up for victims remains a top priority for the San Diego County Sheriff's Office."

"Centering survivors while directing enforcement at buyers and traffickers addresses the root of exploitation. We will continue working with our regional task force to reduce harm and keep San Diego communities safe," said San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert. "These collaborative efforts make clear that purchasing sex fuels exploitation, and our partners across agencies are aligned in holding offenders accountable and ensuring survivors have pathways to safety and services."

"The San Diego Imperial Valley HIDTA is proud to support the Human Trafficking Task Force in their enforcement efforts to protect the most vulnerable victims from sexual exploitation. The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force's innovative approach to utilizing federal, state, and local law enforcement resources to arrest those responsible for soliciting minors and loitering for sex will have a positive impact on public safety and, more importantly, the lives of the victims," said San Diego HIDTA Executive Director David King. "The National HIDTA Program recognizes the importance of enforcing laws aimed at preventing sexual exploitation and holding perpetrators accountable and hasrecently initiated a pilot program with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force to work in partnership with nine HIDTA regions across the United States to investigate the parallels between drug and human trafficking."

"HSI and our law enforcement partners at the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force prioritize helping the victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, while investigating and arresting those responsible for these crimes," said Kevin Murphy, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. "Through the partnerships at the Human Trafficking Task Force, we are able to get these criminals off the streets, offer services to victims, and make our communities safer."

"The San Diego Police Department has seen the impact that illegal sex work and human trafficking have on our neighborhoods, and for too long, our hands have been tied in addressing this issue," said Police Scott Chief Wahl. "This operation is a great example of how the expanded enforcement options created under Assembly Bill 379 are already making a difference. Our teams will be focused on maintaining the progress made through this collaborative effort moving forward."

This announcement underscores the commitment of the California Department of Justice (DOJ) to fight against human trafficking through the efforts of three specialized teams, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, Fresno Human Trafficking/Sexual Predator Apprehension Team and the Sacramento Regional Human Trafficking Task Force. DOJ's Human Trafficking Task Forces have worked tirelessly to investigate, identify and recover victims exploited for profit and gain by human traffickers and sexual predators. Since 2021, DOJ has secured 983 arrests and rescued and offered assistance to 1,013 victims. Human Trafficking is the exploitation by force, fraud, fear, or coercion of vulnerable people, for mandatory labor, domestic servitude, or commercial sex operations.

The DOJ is proud to partner with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigative Services, San Diego City Attorney's Office, San Diego County District Attorney's Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, Visalia Police Department, Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, Sacramento Police Department, Sacramento County Probation, and the Elk Grove Police Department.

The DOJ-led San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is a cooperative effort involving DOJ, California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigative Services, San Diego City Attorney's Office, San Diego County District Attorney's Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.

DOJ Victims' Services Unit (VSU) works in conjunction with victim service providers and all across the state to provide victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally-sensitive support services to all crime victims, including underserved, at-risk, underrepresented, and vulnerable populations. More information about VSU is available at oag.ca.gov/victimservices or by calling (877) 433-9069 or visiting oag.ca.gov/victimservices/contact.

If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 to access help and services. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Additional information and resources to support survivors of human trafficking is available here.