sbsheriffSource: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
The Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force conducted a human trafficking sting operation last week focusing on rescuing victims of human trafficking, identifying and arresting their traffickers, disrupting the demand for vulnerable victims, and connecting victims of human trafficking with victim resources.
During the operation, a total of 3 women engaged in the sales of sex acts were contacted and 4 sex buyers were arrested. The names of the arrestees are not available for release due to ongoing investigations.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force was established in 2016 with a $1.34 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant was renewed in 2020 with an additional $1.2 million in funding for three years.
If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, please call the Sheriff’s Office Anonymous Tip line at (805)681-4171 or provide an anonymous tip on our website.
Sheriff’s detectives coordinate closely with the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Victim-Witness Program to ensure the needs of survivors are not overshadowed by the focus on the investigation and prosecution of the accused. Victim Advocates are available to ensure that survivors are kept informed and supported throughout the criminal justice process. Survivors have the option of contacting the Victim-Witness Assistance Program directly at 805-568-2400 or toll free at 855-840-3232.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind survivors that they can also find support services through our community partner, Standing Together to End Sexual Assault (STESA). Services offered by STESA include a confidential 24-Hour hotline, legal and medical advocacy and accompaniment, and counseling. You can reach a STESA advocate at any time by calling (805) 564-3696.
Really, arresting Johns paying for CONSENSUAL sex is stopping human trafficking? I wish they’d stop trying to make this sound like something bigger than it is. What happened to “identifying and arresting their traffickers” listed in the blurb, when has that happened? Every time there is one of these reports detailing these operations, all they ever do is arrest Johns. Honestly I find it offensive to people who go through actual human trafficking to call this by the same name.
I wonder how many of the officers refused to vaccinate? They need to separate the trafficking stings from the John stings. Prostitution should be legal and government should stop legislating morality.
Are you upset because they are removing all your opportunities from the local area and forcing you to travel to find what you are looking for?
If you had any clue about what you are talking about you would realize just how stupid your post reads. I’m sure you know that several of the prostitutes are not there consensually. So to see someone object to poor little johns being arrested for paying for sex makes me wonder about the posters past conduct or maybe their hidden desires.
It’s legal in civilized countries – licensed and regulated. Here we have to deal with the self righteous and religious zealots who continue to legislate morality. Busting human traffickers should be a priority – busting the Johns is just for public relations.
Human trafficking and prostitution could be two totally different things… There may be prostitutes who get into the trade to make an income- not every prostitute is necessarily forced into the trade… That being said, there are many that are… Another reason to clue in on the illegal border crossing- There are many (men, women and minors) who ARE forced into labor by organized crime- NOT necessarily the sex trade, but working in low wage earning jobs in hotels, animal processing facilities and more….
“The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force was established in 2016 with a $1.34 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant was renewed in 2020 with an additional $1.2 million in funding for three years. ” Is this what $2.54M accomplishes?! Four plus years?! The SBSO should be embarrassed to post such a report. Sex trafficking implies involuntary participation. There is no evidence presented here that the three sex workers were involuntary. If so, congratulations but one has to suspect it would not be hard for a few undercover deputies to run down this public business at a lot less cost. Or alternatively, maybe we should just OK the SBSO to buy the slaves and set them free. Probably a lot cheaper.
What’s being held back in this article? The way I read it, doesn’t seem any “traffickers,” as they’re commonly known today, were arrested, much less involved. Unless there is more to this story, seems the three women arrested are prostitutes and the four sex buyers are “tricks/johns” simply paying the prostitute to engage in a sex act. If the women arrested were being “trafficked” why were they arrested and not released to a social service agency as a “survivor?” A thought out of left field. Since the gender of the “sex buyers” was not identified it is possible but not likely they are women (aka janes). I doubt it matters if the female arrestees are identified or not. Once they don’t return to their “trafficker” or “pimp” with cash as planned they will likely suspect an arrest could have occurred. But, I’ll guess regarding an investigation it’s always good to be cautious.
SICKOF – Qalm down. Even if a prostitute is doing that unwillingly, unless the John knows that, his INTENT (key factor in this) is to pay for consensual sex. Johns are not human traffickers, they are lonely adults paying for what, in most cases, they consider to be consensual sex with an adult. Go after the pimps and those who facilitate these transactions. They’re the ones who know what’s happening and have a hand in it. Bust the prostitutes themselves to get them to turn and lead the cops to the source. Busting Johns who thought they were paying for consensual sex is useless and publicly shaming them, as the SBSO likes to do, is just cruel.
Now, there are very much so some deviants and pedos out there who pay for underage girls/boys and they should be removed permanently from society in my opinion. But what the SBSO has been billing as “human trafficking stings” the last few years has been nothing more than a load of lonely/frustrated men who just wanted some consensual “companionship.” Focus on the REAL criminals!
Misleading headline. Catching a few prostitutes and johns would be another weekend for a law enforcement agency worth their salt. Here in the SBSO fantasy land it’s an “operation.” The thing is, mitigating human trafficking would take actual work ethic and intelligence, both of which are in short supply at the SBSO. Sheriff Brown should have retired 5 years ago, his whole organization is a mess and gives law enforcement a bad name.
What a lame handle. This isn’t Fox.
167 deputies refusing to vaccinate or test for Covid. The department needs good PR so they make up this “Human Trafficking” press release.
Sickofrepublicantsloosingallthetime-
“If you had any clue about what you are talking about you would realize just how stupid your post reads. I’m sure you know that several of the prostitutes are not there consensually. So to see someone object to poor little johns being arrested for paying for sex makes me wonder about the posters past conduct or maybe their hidden desires.” dude stfu. your handle tells us all that you’re narrow minded and your post backs it up.