Contra Costa County, CA
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
---|---|
Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
Contra Costa County occupies the northern portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It is primarily suburban, and has a population of about 1,200,000. The county seat is Martinez. Commercial sex activity has been well-documented in the communities, and in unincorporated areas of the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market is sex trafficking, and violence committed against both the providers and consumers.
Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department often collaborates with municipal police departments to conduct reverse stings. For example, in Bay Point (formerly West Pittbsurg) complaints about prostitution from residents and businesses, as well as homicides involving prostituted women, encouraged the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office to adopt new strategies that target sex buyers in addition to sex sellers, and have conducted a street-level reverse sting operations to arrest buyers.
Pittsburg is near Bay Point, Antioch, Concord, and Walnut Creek, and prostitution and sex trafficking have been identified as problems in those communities, including the presence of a serial killer who targeted sex sellers in the 1990s. In their efforts to reduce prostitution, the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and Pittsburg Police Department have conducted periodic reverse stings since at least 1998. Operations are typically conducted at street level, using one or more female undercover officers as decoys. The names of arrested johns are not routinely released to the public. In 1998, media outlets reported that county officials were considering adopting an auto seizure ordinance that would enable them to seize and impound vehicles used for the purposes of solicitation. It is unclear if said ordinance was ultimately adopted.
The Richmond Police Department began conducting street-level reverse stings in 2005, and web-based reverse stings in 2008. Once arrested, johns in Richmond may have their vehicles seized (if they were used for the purposes of solicitation) and may have their driver’s licenses suspended. If convicted, they may be served with SOAP orders that restrict their ability to enter areas of the city known for prostitution. In March 2014, the RPD announced that it would also use its Facebook and Twitter pages to broadcast the identities of arrested sex buyers; in September 2014, the names and arrest photos of 11 johns were posted to the department’s Facebook page following a sting operation. In October 2018, a reverse sting on 23rd Street yielded arrests of eight customers and the rescue of two juvenile girls ages 15 and 17. Residents and city officials have also undertaken efforts to address demand prior to the point of arrest, by engaging in public education campaigns and developing neighborhood watch groups. In 2014, Richmond Police reported to members of the local media that had been working with “residents in the area of 23rd Street and lower Ohio Avenue to report the license plate of anyone they suspect is loitering for the purpose of soliciting a prostitute. The owner of the vehicle is then sent a ‘Dear John’ letter that notifies them they were seen loitering in an area known for prostitution.”
County-wide efforts are usually led by the Sheriff’s Department. E.g., in March 2017, a retired Oakland police captain was sentenced to jail, probation and a “john school” prostitution awareness class after he admitted to buying sex from a young woman at the center of a Bay Area police sex exploitation scandal. A Contra Costa Superior Court judge sentenced the man to two years probation and five days in jail, and he was allowed to substitute “court watch” for jail time, meaning he can serve his sentence simply by sitting in a court audience. Additionally, he was required to pay approximately $1,200 to attend a “john school” program. “Dozens” of current and former officers were investigated after the woman told investigators she’d had sex with officers from numerous Bay Area police agencies, including some who she said gave her inside information about upcoming prostitution stings. Further, she alleged that she’d had sex with officers while she was underage. The investigation implicated officers from Oakland, Livermore, Richmond, the Alameda and Contra Costa sheriff’s departments, and other agencies. It led to lawsuits against the cities of Oakland and Richmond. Four Richmond officers implicated in the scandal, out of 11 who were investigated, and three were fired.
Key Partners
- Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department
- Contra Costa Superior Court
- Pleasantville Police Department
- Pittsburg Police Department
- Richmond Police Department
- Oakland Police Department
- Hayward Police Department
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
Key Sources
Reverse Sting, John School, Shaming:
- https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/03/07/police-sex-exploitation-scandal-ex-oakland-cop-sentenced-allowed-to-substitute-court-watch-for-jail-time/ (2017)
- https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/03/07/police-sex-exploitation-scandal-ex-oakland-cop-sentenced-allowed-to-substitute-court-watch-for-jail-time/ (2017)
- Police sex scandal: Ex-cop’s sweet deal shows rushed investigation, defense attorney said
- Police sex scandal: Ex-Livermore cop pleads no contest, ‘walks away scot-free’
- Richmond police officer tied to sex scandal to return to force
- Oakland police sex scandal: Retired sergeant takes plea deal for not reporting teen’s sex with cops
- Oakland sex scandal: Police officer won’t face charges
Street-Level Reverse Stings:
- “Police in Contra Costa Back Proposed Law to Deter Prostitution; County Ordinance that Would Force Customers to Forfeit Their Cars”, San Francisco Chronicle, October 13 1998.
- “Contra Costa Patrons of Prostitution Might Need a Ride Home”, Contra Costa Times, October 14 1998.
- “120 Arrested in Vice Sweep; Johns Targeted in Pittsburg, Bay Point Roundup”, Antioch Ledger Dispatch, June 24 2000.
- “Arrested in Bay Point Police Prostitution Sting”, San Francisco Chronicle, April 25 2001.
- “Prostitution Sting Sweeps Bay Point; County Vice Unit Places Decoys to Entice Willow Pass Road’s Johns”, Contra Costa Times, August 29 2003.
Auto Seizure:
- “Police in Contra Costa Back Proposed Law to Deter Prostitution; County Ordinance that Would Force Customers to Forfeit Their Cars”, San Francisco Chronicle, October 13 1998.
- “Contra Costa Patrons of Prostitution Might Need a Ride Home”, Contra Costa Times, October 14 1998.
- “Richmond to Seize, Auction Cars in Fight Against Drugs, Prostitution”, Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, January 15 2003.
Shaming:
- “Richmond Police Take to Social Media to Shame ‘Johns’”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, March 18 2014.
- “Customers of Local Sex Workers Might Have Their Photos Tweeted”, SFist, March 19 2014.
- “Richmond Police ‘Outing’ Johns on Social Media to Fight Prostitution”, CBS/KCBS-TV 2, March 19 2014.
- “‘Johns’ Publicly Shamed in Tactic to Curb Prostitution”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, April 19 2014.
- “Richmond: Officers Posing as Prostitutes Arrest 11 Johns”, San Jose Mercury-News, September 5 2014.
- “Richmond Police Use Social Media in Fight against Prostitution”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, September 5 2014.
- “California Police Use Social Media to Out ‘Johns’”, CBS/KMAX-TV 13, September 6 2014.
Letters:
- “Richmond: Officers Posing as Prostitutes Arrest 11 Johns”, San Jose Mercury-News, September 5 2014.
Neighborhood Action:
- “Richmond: Officers Posing as Prostitutes Arrest 11 Johns”, San Jose Mercury-News, September 5 2014.
Documented Violence against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “4th Woman Found Slain in Pittsburg / Passer-by Finds Bay Point Prostitute in a Ditch”, San Francisco Chronicle, January 9 1999.
- “Serial Killer May Be at Work”, Contra Costa Times, January 10 1999.
- “Authorities Say Fugitive May Be Slaying Suspect”, Contra Costa Times, January 12 1999.
- “Killings Haunt Local Prostitutes”, Antioch Ledger Dispatch, January 16 1999.
- “Pittsburg, Bay Point Quiet after Killings”, Contra Costa Times, February 14 1999.
- “HIV Scare Led to Killing, Man Says”, Contra Costa Times, September 30 2010.
- “Man Found Guilty in Bay Point ‘Golden Flute’ Slaying”, CBS/KPIX-TV 5, October 4 2010.
- “‘Golden Flute’ Murder: Craigslist Prostitute Convicted in Calif. Killing, Robbery”, CBS News, October 5 2010.
Background on Local Prostitution and Sex Trafficking:
- “In Brief; Undercover Cops Bust 5 Alleged Prostitutes”, Antioch Ledger Dispatch, June 5 1998.
- “Pittsburg May Redo Marina Ordinance,” Antioch Ledger-Dispatch, June 25 1998.
- “In Brief; 16 Women Arrested in Prostitution Sweep”, Antioch Ledger Dispatch, April 22 1999.
- “Town Is Cleaning up Its Act”, Contra Costa Times, April 23 1999.
- “Pittsburg Wants to Set Requirements for Massage Parlors,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 16 1998.
- “Pittsburg Police Make 83 Busts in Crackdown,” Antioch Ledger-Dispatch, October 25 2000.
- “Pittsburg Targeting Prostitutes, Extra Effort Is Paying Off, Police Say, with Fewer Offenders on the Street,” Contra Costa Times, August 25 2002.
- “72 Arrested in Bay Area during Nationwide Prostitution Sting,” Oakland Tribune, November 8 2010.
- “Six Teen Prostitutes Rescued in Bay Area Child-Sex Sting,” Contra Costa Times, June 24 2014.
- “Pittsburg Man to Marry Girlfriend during Sentencing for Pimping in Redwood City,” Oakland Tribune, January 23 2015.
- “14 Arrested in East Bay Prostitution Sweep,” San Jose Mercury News, April 3 2016.
- “Pittsburg: Three Charged in ‘Brutal’ Pimping Case,” Contra Costa Times, June 5 2014.
- “Pittsburg: Three Charged in ‘Brutal’ Pimping Case,” Oakland Tribune, June 5 2014.
- “East Bay Human Trafficking Victim Truthful, Prosecutor Tells Jury,” Contra Costa Times, May 27 2015.
- https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/09/01/alleged-bay-area-gangster-gets-federal-prison-in-minor-enticement-case/ (2018)
State | California |
Type | County |
Population | 1147000 |
Location |
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