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The State of Human Trafficking in California 2012

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The State of Human Trafficking in California 2012 The State of Human Trafficking in California 2012 Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General California Department of Justice Message from the Attorney General Five years ago, leaders from our state’s law enforcement and vic- tim advocacy communities convened as the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force. Their purpose was to evaluate the nature and extent of human trafficking in California and discuss how government and non-governmental organiza- tions could collaborate to develop an effective response. The Task Force published its first report, Human Trafficking in California, in October 2007. I was proud to participate in the Task Force as San Francisco’s District Attorney and to represent the California District Attorneys Association. But much has changed since 2007. The crime of human trafficking has evolved profoundly over the last five years. Transnational and domestic gangs have expanded from trafficking guns and drugs to trafficking human beings. The perpetrators of human trafficking have become more sophisticated and organized, requiring an equally sophisticated response from law en- forcement and its partners to disrupt and dismantle their networks. Another emerging trend is the adoption by traffickers of new technologies like social media to recruit victims, facilitate their crimes, and evade law enforcement. We also have the benefit of new legal tools, includ- ing California’s groundbreaking anti-trafficking law, AB 22, which went into effect in 2006. In light of these changed circumstances, as Attorney General of California, this year I convened a new anti-trafficking work group to reassess human trafficking in our state. I am pleased to present the results of their evaluation in the enclosed report, The State of Human Trafficking in California, 2012. The report reflects the work of representatives from law enforcement, vic- tim service providers, non-governmental organizations, technology companies, and academic institutions. This diverse team brought their expertise and perspectives to discuss the current landscape of human trafficking in California and to evaluate and propose innovative strategies to investigate and prosecute traffickers and assist victims. I am proud to have convened this group, whose collective expertise and experience serves as the foundation for this report. I hope the report will generate further discussion and, most importantly, effective action to fight human trafficking in California. I hope you will read it, find value in it, and share it widely. Sincerely, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris i ii Human Trafficking 2012 Work Group The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Work Group is comprised of representatives of educational institutions, private entities, and a broad spectrum of law enforcement agencies, governmental agencies, victim service providers, and technology companies. We want to acknowledge and thank the representatives of the following agencies and organizations for their insight, discussion, and contributions to this project: D Alameda County District Attorney’s D East Bay Human Trafficking Task Force Office D End Violence Against Women D Alameda County Medical Center International D Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach D Facebook D Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield’s D Federal Bureau of Investigation Victim Office Assistance Program, Los Angeles Field D Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition Office D California Coalition Against Sexual Assault D Fresno Coalition Against Human D California Department of Social Trafficking Services, Refugee Programs Bureau D Fresno Economic Opportunities D California District Attorneys Association Commission, Sanctuary Youth Services D California Emergency Management D Fresno Police Department Agency D Futures Without Violence D California Highway Patrol D Global Freedom Center D California Partnership to End Domestic D Hayward Police Department Violence D Humanity United D Central California Intelligence Center, D Inter-Tribal Council of California Sacramento Regional Threat Assess- D Joint Regional Intelligence Center, Los ment Center Angeles D Central Valley Against Human Trafficking D Los Angeles Metro Area Task Force on D Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking Human Trafficking (CAST) D Los Angeles Police Department D Community Service Programs D McGeorge School of Law D Community Solutions, Inc. D Microsoft Corporation D Congressman Dan Lungren’s Office D Narika D Courage to Be You, Inc./Courage House D North Bay Human Trafficking Task Force D Department of Industrial Relations, D North and Central California Anti- Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Trafficking Team D The DNA (Demi & Ashton) Foundation iii D Northern California Regional D San Diego Sheriff’s Department Intelligence Center D San Francisco Asian Women’s Center D Oakland Mayor’s Office D San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention D Oakland Police Department Center D Operation SafeHouse D San Francisco County Superior Court D Orange County Human Trafficking Task D San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Force D San Francisco Police Department D Partners Ending Domestic Abuse D San Joaquin College of Law D Riverside County Anti-Human D San Jose/South Bay Human Trafficking Trafficking Task Force Task Force D Riverside County District Attorney’s Office D San Jose Police Department D Riverside County Sheriff’s Department D San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department D Regional Threat Assessment Center, D San Mateo Police Department Orange County D Standing Against Global Exploitation D Regional Threat Assessment Center, San Project (SAGE) Diego D State Threat Assessment Center D Sacramento County Public Defender’s D Strong Hearted Native Women’s Coalition Office D University of Southern California D Sacramento Innocence Lost Task Force Annenberg Center on Communication D Sacramento Rescue and Restore Leadership & Policy Program, Sacramento Employment & D U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District Training Agency of California D Sacramento Sheriff’s Department D U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern Dis- D Safe Border Community Project/ACTION trict of California Network D U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern Dis- D San Diego County District Attorney’s trict of California Office D U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities D San Diego County Human Trafficking Commission, Los Angeles District Office Advisory Council D Westminster Police Department D San Diego North County Human D Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Trafficking Task Force For a list of the individuals on the Work Group, see Appendix A. iv California Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Special Project Team Kamala D. Harris Attorney General Travis LeBlanc Special Assistant Attorney General Larry Wallace Director, Division of Law Enforcement Benjamin Thomas Greer Human Trafficking Work Group Co-Chair Nancy Matson Human Trafficking Work Group Co-Chair Patty O’Ran Human Trafficking Work Group Manager Grace Cotulla Legal Research Intern Scott Davidson Dyle Legal Research Intern Nafeh Malik Legal Research Intern The recommendations expressed in this report are based on research and input from the California Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Work Group and the Attorney General’s staff. These recommen- dations should not be considered as representing the views of any agency or organization that participated in the Work Group. v vi Acknowledgments This report benefits from the counsel and support of all the participants on the California Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Work Group. Attorney General Kamala D. Harris is grateful for their contributions and commitment to combating human trafficking and supporting the victims of this crime. Attorney General Harris is grateful to Humanity United for its generous support of the Human Trafficking Leadership Symposium and this report. In addition, special thanks are extended to: Nicholas Sensley, Strategy and Development Consultant, Humanity United; Matthew Hawkins, Deputy Commander, California State Threat Assessment Center; Mandy Larson (Johnson), Gang Intelligence Analyst, California State Threat Assessment Center; and, Sandra Fletcher, former Criminal Justice Specialist, Public Safety and Victim Services Division, California Emergency Management Agency. Thanks for their hard work goes to: Robert Morgester, Senior Assistant Attorney General, eCrime Unit; Mateo Muñoz, Director, Office of California-Mexico Bilateral Relations; Deborah Bain, Special Counsel, Victim Services Unit; Cynthia Malloy, former Student Assistant, Victim Services Unit; Marc LeForestier, Director, Office of Legislative Affairs; Jessica Devencenzi, Deputy Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs; and, Robert Sumner, Legal Analyst. Additional thanks to the following individuals for their dedication in bringing this report to fruition: Becca MacLaren, Editor; Jill Habig, Attorney Advisor; Brianna Schofield, Special Deputy Attorney General; Hanna Chung, Deputy Attorney General; Lynda Gledhill, Press Secretary; Janet Mistchenko, Graphic Designer; and Jerry Hill, Manager, Communication and Imaging Resource Center. Finally, Attorney General Harris also wishes to thank Suzy Loftus, former Special Assistant Attorney General, for her leadership in advancing the Department of Justice’s anti-human trafficking agenda. Photo Credits The California Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Special Project Team is grateful for the use of the following photographs: page 17, courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General, State of Chiapas, Mexico; page 20, cour- tesy of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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