San Jose, 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 | ✓ |
San Jose is the county seat of Santa Clara County, which is located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay area. It is the third-largest city in California, with a population of approximately 940,000. Sex trafficking and prostitution have been identified by law enforcement and residents as substantial problems in the city and surrounding areas of the county. Cases of prostitute homicides and disappearances have been documented in the city. Residents have complained to the police about a growing trend of street prostitutes and the sex buyers seeking their services. Others have suggested that the rise in street gang activity in San Jose, particularly in South San Jose, is one of the chief reasons for the rise in commercial sex.
Police have been conducting periodic reverse stings since 1986, mostly at street-level and more recently, using the web. Neighborhood groups have also mobilized to combat prostitution and sex trafficking broadly, and the demand for commercial sex specifically. For example, the Santa Maria Urban Ministry organized a march in 2012 to protest prostitution and sex trafficking in the city, and the Washington Guadalupe Neighborhood Association and local YMCA supports efforts to combat demand as a means of attacking local problems associated with commercial sex in downtown San Jose areas, particularly near South First Street.
In September, 2019, the SJPD launched the “Report John Program” designed to reduce human trafficking and prostitution by reducing consumer-level demand. A SJPD press release about the program states that community members are invited to participate by reporting “Johns” they suspect of soliciting “sex workers.” Reporting is facilitated by a simple website form used on phone, tablets, or desktop computers that crowdsource feedback from the community. Residents can upload a photo and provide vehicle and other identifying information on a potential John. The Department’s Human Trafficking Unit then evaluates the information and determines if further investigation is warranted. If appropriate, a Public Safety Announcement (PSA) letter is sent to the registered owner’s address, alerting the registered owner that his or her vehicle was seen in an area known for high levels of prostitution. This letter also serves to educate the registered owner about the dangers of prostitution and related illicit activities.
Key Partners
- San Jose Police Department
- Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office
- Milpitas Police Department
- FBI
- Santa Maria Urban Ministry
- Washington Guadalupe Neighborhood Association
- YMCA
Key Sources
Street-Level Reverse Stings:
- “Honorary Badge Holder Arrested”, San Jose Mercury News, January 24 1987.
- “Undercover Women Officers Net 24 ‘Johns’ in Downtown S.J.”, San Jose Mercury News, September 18 1992.
- “57 Men Held in Sex-Solicitation Sweep”, San Jose Mercury News, April 19 1996.
- “Decoys Help S.J. Police in Stings; Periodic Sweeps Catch Those Who Solicit Prostitution, Violent Felons, Predators, Often Found in the Process”, San Jose Mercury News, June 10 2001.
- “Massive Bay Area Prostitution Sting Nets 131 Arrests”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, July 17 2007.
- “‘Operation B-Sting’ Leads to 32 Prostitution Arrests”, ABC/KGO-TV 7, June 1 2012.
- “SJ Police Arrest 14 in Prostitution Sting, Rescue 16-Year-Old Girl”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, February 19 2013.
Web-Based Reverse Stings:
Shaming:
Neighborhood Action:
- “Walking Hookers Out of Town”, San Jose Mercury News, May 5 1986.
- “Washington Residents Take to the Streets to Protest Prostitution Surge”, Neighbor Web SJ, September 2012.
- “San Jose Marches Against Prostitution”, NBC/KNTV-TV 11, September 27 2012.
Public Education and Letters Sent to Potential Sex Buyers: Report John Program
- http://www.sjpd.org/inews/SJPD_Launches_Report_John_Program (2019)
- https://www.sjpd.org/_forms/report-john.asp (2019)
Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “S.J. Pair Accused of Prostitution Scheme”, San Jose Mercury News, June 22 1985.
- “San Jose House Linked to Sex Slave Ring”, Contra Costa Times, September 13 1997.
- “Agents Attack Slave Trade Ring, Seize 19 in Sweep of Brothels”, San Jose Mercury News, February 13 2001.
- “Human Trafficking Suspected in San Jose Prostitution Case”, Oakland Tribune, October 28 2005.
- “Prostitution Case Yields Guilty Pleas, Illegal Immigrants Worked at 10 Sites”, San Jose Mercury News, February 16 2006.
- “Juvenile Prostitution: Trafficking in Children on Increase”, Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 19 2006.
- “Prostitution Sting Nets 17 Adults, 2 Teens”, San Mateo Daily Journal, October 31 2008.
- “Eight Arrested in Major Bay Area Sex Slave Ring Bust”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, January 22 2011.
- “Man Accused of Forcing Women into Prostitution Sentenced to Nine Years”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, June 9 2012.
- “Nationwide Prostitution Sting Results in Bay Area Arrests”, CBS/KPIX-TV 5, June 25 2012.
- “Prop 35 Opponents Argue Ballot Measure Won’t Stop Prostitution”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, October 11 2012.
- “SJ Police Arrest 14 in Prostitution Sting, Rescue 16-Year-Old Girl”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, February 19 2013.
- “San Jose Man Pushed Unemployed Woman into Prostitution, DA Says”, San Jose Mercury News, October 16 2013.
- “Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting Girl to Work as Prostitute”, NBC/KSNV-DT 3, January 29 2014.
- “Report: San Jose Youth Counselor, Second Man Indicted in Sex Trafficking Case”, Vallejo Times Herald, February 25 2014.
- “Man, 25, Sentenced to 6 Years after Pleading Guilty to Human Trafficking, Prostitution Charges”, Greenfield Daily Reporter, June 28 2014.
- “San Jose Man Sentenced to Prison for Coercion of Minors for Prostitution,” Imperial Valley News, July 15 2015.
- “Two San Jose Men Plead Guilty in Child Prostitution Case,” MyNetwork/KRON-TV 4, July 22 2015.
Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “S.J. Police Seize Suspect in Sex Agency”, San Jose Mercury News, September 19 1985.
- “Prostitution Ring Kept Detailed Files”, Miami News, August 15 1986.
- “Police Will Call ‘Johns’, Officials Seek Data in Hooker Ring”, San Jose Mercury News, August 15 1986.
- “San Jose Arrest Leads to Alleged Prostitution Ring”, San Jose Mercury News, February 20 1987.
- “Police Break Large Prostitution Clique”, Lodi News-Sentinel, August 11 1988.
- “Police Suspect Increase in Prostitution Rings”, Los Angeles Times, September 21 1997.
- “San Jose Sees Rise in Prostitution”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, August 19 2008.
- “Seven Arrested in Prostitution Bust”, San Jose Mercury News, March 14 2009.
- “Hookers Know Way to San Jose: Cops”, NBC/KNTV-TV 11, July 12 2011.
- “Some Critics Say San Jose Turning into Sin City”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, August 30 2011.
- “SJPD Uses Internet to Crack Down on Prostitution”, FOX/KTVU-TV 2, September 16 2011.
- “San Jose Residents to Protest Rise in Prostitution”, CBS/KCBS-TV 2, September 27 2012.
Documented Violence Against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
State | California |
Type | City |
Population | 939899 |
Location |
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