Human trafficking task force announces rescues, arrests
Hundreds of people have been arrested and many victims have been rescued in a human-trafficking task force effort across California. KCAL News Reporter Kara Finnstrom has the story in Elysian Park with more on "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild."
The operation began in 2014. Law enforcement agencies from across the state target human trafficking every year in a concentrated weeklong crackdown. This year, 368 arrests were made, and 131 victims were rescued statewide, including six juveniles
Officers targeted streets, motels and massage parlors known for prostitution.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore says there's now a better understanding of the victims involved.
"We would look at those sex workers in a criminal matter. And today our effort is to look at them as what they are, which is victims," said Moore. "They're being exploited, sometimes by force, by threat of death."