San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, CA, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is about 20 miles south of San Francisco, and has a population of approximately 104,000 residents. Prostitution has historically been an issue in the county with initial reports dating back to the era of the gold rush. Prostitution and sex trafficking have presented serious problems for decades within the city and greater county area, including the murder of prostituted women, illicit massage businesses (IMBs), and child sex trafficking. For example, in 2013, four individuals were arrested in connection to a large sex trafficking ring operating throughout the counties of  Sacramento and San Mateo. In 2014, a San Francisco federal grand jury indicted 10 people who allegedly were involved in a sex trafficking operation in which the offenders lured adult females, primarily from Asian countries to the Northern District of California, where they were sex trafficked at various brothels in apartments across the Bay Area. All 10 defendants were charged with Conspiracy to Conduct a Racketeering Enterprise for operating 40 brothels in the greater San Francisco Bay Area from at least August 2002 through July 2014. The cities included San Mateo, the site of 14 of the brothels, Redwood City, Belmont, San Bruno, Colma, Foster City, South San Francisco, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Pinole.

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. A law enforcement respondent to the 2021 National Assessment Survey reported that web-based reverse stings, implementation of public education, and use of surveillance cameras specifically targeting sex buyers have used as demand reduction tactics in San Mateo since 2010.

The San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) has collaborated on large regional operations that have included demand reduction tactics.  For example, in October of 2016, the SMPD and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with numerous partner agencies in the region to conduct operations in support of “Operation Cross Country X,” an international effort focused on combatting child sex trafficking. The operation took place over the course of five days and spanned across six counties in the Bay Area (San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda, Santa Clara, and Sonoma). In addition to recovering six juvenile sex trafficking victims and arresting 14 sex traffickers, the operation resulted in the arrest or citation of 79 adult male sex buyers, and “cyber patrol” contact with 63 adult men. Cyber patrols involve potential sex buyers being contacted by law enforcement and advised of the harm caused by engaging in prostitution. FBI San Francisco Division coordinated the California effort for Operation Cross Country X, and 28 additional agencies participated.