After hearing powerful first-hand accounts of Los Angeles police officers rescuing children from sex traffickers, the Police Commission on Tuesday called on the City Council to protect the LAPD’s anti-trafficking efforts against budget cuts. Advocates for trafficking victims — including two who were victims themselves — told the commission that the LAPD’s anti-trafficking work was indispensable, that cuts should be reversed and that the teams should be protected. Officials said L.A. is a hub for sex trafficking nationally, pointing to a joint local and federal investigation that recently rescued 33 children in Los Angeles. AdvertisementIn the Valley Bureau, sex trafficking arrests from July through October were down 40% year over year, and in the South Bureau they were down 15%, the report said. Alan Smyth, executive director of Saving Innocence, said it is unthinkable that, amid a surge in sex trafficking during the pandemic, the LAPD’s budget for fighting such crime should be reduced.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 27, 2021 05:26 UTC