Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Human Trafficking
| Nature of Incident: | Human Trafficking Operation | ||
| Location: | City of Thousand Oaks | ||
| Date & Time: | July 2020 | ||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force, Thousand Oaks Police Directed Enforcement Unit | ||
| Narrative: | |||
| During the first week of July 2020, The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force and the Thousand Oaks Directed Enforcement Unit conducted an operation to rescue victims of sex trafficking and arrest their traffickers working out of local hotels. During this operation, The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force and The Thousand Oaks Police Directed Enforcement Unit contacted several adult sex trafficking victims working out of a local hotel. These victims are sex workers that work at the direction of a criminal organization who profits from the illicit activities. Numerous women that were suspected of sex trafficking were contacted and offered counseling, relocation, or other victim centered services. While contacting these victims, one adult female requested assistance in returning to her country of origin. The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force works closely with a non-profit victim service provider who was able to assist her in returning to her family home. The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force conducts training for hotels and motel operators in the county and has future presentations planned. This training is for hotels employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking, knowledge of laws, and how to report suspected human trafficking cases. The Ventura County Coalition against Human Trafficking along with the Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force present this training free of charge. According to California Government Code 12950.3(b)(1)- "By January 1, 2020, an employer shall provide at least 20 minutes of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding human trafficking awareness to each employee who is likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking and who is employed as of July 1, 2019, and, within six months of his or her employment in that role, to each new employee who is likely to interact or come into contact with victims of human trafficking. An employer who has provided this training and education to an employee on or before January 1, 2019, shall not be required to provide additional training to that employee to meet the requirements of this subparagraph." If your hotel is interested in participating in the training, please contact the Ventura County Coalition against Human Trafficking at [email protected] The Ventura County Human Trafficking Task Force is a task force made up of members from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Ventura Police Department, Santa Paula Police Department, Simi Valley Police Department, Oxnard Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, California Department of Justice, and several victim service providers. The primary mission of the task force is to combat the fight against the sex and labor trafficking of humans within Ventura County. The Ventura County Taskforce works closely with surrounding cities and counties to fulfill our mission. Detectives encourage victims to contact "211" or local law enforcement if you believe you are a victim or know a victim of human trafficking to be connected with services. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Kathryn Torres | ||
| News Release Date: | 07/10/2020 | ||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Kathryn Torres Work Phone (805) 797-7121 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: | Captain Brian Slominski | ||
Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511