Jurupa Valley is a city of about 107,000 residents in souther California, located in the northwest corner of Riverside County. Prostitution and sex trafficking, and a wide range of associated crimes, have been well-documented throughout Riverside County for decades, including within the city of Jurupa Valley. For example, the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT) and the Jurupa Valley Station’s Special Enforcement Team (SET) have conducted several sex trafficking investigations in the city, resulting in arrests for prostitution and brothel-keeping.

To address consumer-level demand for commercial sex that drives both prostitution and sex trafficking, reverse stings have been conducted in the city. In December 2021, the Jurupa Valley Station’s Special Enforcement Team (SET), in collaboration with the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RCAHT), conducted a sex trafficking investigation that resulted in arrests for maintaining a brothel. Law enforcement then set up a reverse sting at the location to arrest individuals willing to pay to engage in sex acts. The stated goal of the operation was to cut the demand for commercial sex in Jurupa Valley and the surrounding area. Several people were contacted and at least one sex buyer was arrested and charged with solicitation of prostitution. His name, age, and hometown were released to the press.

In March 2022, Riverside County sheriff’s deputies conducted a similar operation in which 14 sex buyers were arrested on suspicion of soliciting prostituted women. Three women were also arrested for prostitution and running a brothel. The arrestees’ names were publicly disclosed in news reports.