LOS ANGELES—Authorities Feb. 4 announced that 145 arrests were made in Los Angeles County during a recent statewide operation investigating human trafficking.
“Operation Reclaim and Rebuild” involved more than 100 federal, state and local agencies, and resulted in 450 arrests statewide, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
“The goal of the operation was simply to rescue and recover victims of human trafficking and to arrest their traffickers or individuals who have exploited them,'' LAPD Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher said at a news conference Feb. 4.
During the seven-day operation, the LAPD made 91 arrests, the Long Beach Police Department made 13 arrests, the LA Regional Human Trafficking Task Force made 36 arrests, and the Pomona Police Department made five arrests.
Statewide, 39 victims of human trafficking were rescued during the operation, including 13 juveniles, officials said. In Los Angeles County, 14 victims of human trafficking were rescued, 12 by the LAPD and two by the Pomona Police Department.
The LA Regional Human Trafficking Task Force includes personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s office, the California Attorney General’s office, the California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the LAPD, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
Operation Reclaim and Rebuild was conducted as part of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
