In the campaign against human trafficking, the city of Los Angeles will collaborate with the federal Department of Homeland Security under an agreement signed Thursday.
As part of the agreement, a range of city departments, from police and fire to ports, housing and building and safety, will join what DHS calls the "Blue Campaign." City personnel will receive federal training in areas including detection, investigation, and victim protection.
During a trip from Washington to Los Angeles, Alejandro Mayorkas, the DHS deputy secretary joined LA Mayor Eric Garcetti in a city hall signing ceremony.
"We have built a unique, inclusive partnership in Los Angeles that serves as a model for the nation in the critical fight against this crime," said Mayorkas.
"The Blue Campaign will help us better train our first responders to identify the signs of this barbaric practice, and engage everyday Angelenos isn the fight against modern day slavery," said Garcetti.
The campaign against human trafficking has represented a paradigm shift in which certain underground economy workers — in many cases, underage sex workers — are recognized as enslaved victims in need of rescue.
Many of the victims are runaways or teens no longer receiving foster care who fall under the control of a pimp. Others are immigrants who remain dependent on the trafficker who arranged their passage and often retains necessary travel documents such as passports and visas.
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In Van Nuys, on a Sepulveda Boulevard corridor known for prostitution, a task force of Los Angeles police and social service workers has focused on bringing the underage sex workers alternatives to juvenile hall, said City Council woman Nury Martinez.
Offering "resources makes all the difference in the world," Martinez said.
Criminal gangs increasingly have taken control of street prostitution, according to Martinez. "We're now going after the pimps and the gangmembers. They're the biggest problem."
Also present at Thursday's signing were members of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, known as CAST. Besides advocacy and outreach, CAST also provides social services, shelter and legal assistance to victims in their effort to rebuild their lives.
CAST believes public awareness can lead to more victims being identified and assisted.
"Education is the key," said Kay Buck, CAST LA executive director.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has also made a commitment to combat human trafficking, and like LAPD, works on a multiagency basis through the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Taskforce.
An operation conducted Wednesday night in Compton along Long Beach Blvd. and Elm Street arrested 28 adults, and the rescues of two underrage girls identified as "commercially, sexually exploited children," according to a Sheriff's statement released Thursday evening.
The 27 adult female sex workers, released on citation, were offered "victim-centered services" from CAST and Restoration Diversion Services, the statement added.
One man, allegedly working as a lookout, was also cited.
