Sheriff Alex Villanueva from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department held a press conference Feb. 4 to detail the results from the sixth annual Operation Reclaim and Rebuild enforcement operation.

The operation took place in January to correlate with National Human Trafficking Awareness month and was focused on rescuing victims of human trafficking and aiding them in rebuilding their lives.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office participated in the operation as part of the Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force, along with the Lompoc Police Department, Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Barbara Police Department and Santa Maria Police Department.

Together with the Ventura and San Luis Obispo Human Trafficking Task Forces, a total of three pimps and 14 solicitors of prostitution were arrested. Officers contacted 22 potential victims of exploitation.

Each of the potential victims met with human trafficking advocates from the District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Program and were offered or provided with services geared toward helping them break away from their exploitation.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force was established in 2016 with a $1.34 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The grant was renewed in October 2019 with an additional $1.2 million in funding for three years.

If you suspect someone is a victim of human trafficking, call the Sheriff’s Office Anonymous Tip Line, 805-681-4171 or provide an anonymous tip online at https://www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/.