PITTSBURG -- Authorities conducted an anti-prostitution sweep Friday, arresting 14 suspected pimps and prostitutes, according to Pittsburg police.
Police were mum on details about the operation, saying they wanted to preserve the integrity of an open investigation, but that the sweep was concentrated at a specific location in town. The names of those arrested have not yet been released.
It is also unclear how many of the suspected prostitutes will be charged, and how many will be treated as victims.
"One of the things we're obviously looking for is to see if there are any victims of human trafficking," Pittsburg police Capt. Ron Raman said. "Obviously this is a good way for us to find females who are being victimized."
Under the law, a person who forces an adult into performing sex acts for money is guilty of human trafficking, whereas someone who simply acts as a pimp for a willing prostitute is guilty of pimping. Underage prostitutes are automatically considered victims of human trafficking, whether they were willing participants or not.
Raman said this operation was conducted solely by Pittsburg police without help from outside agencies, but that it was part of a broader statewide law enforcement effort to combat pimping and human trafficking.
In late March, undercover Contra Costa County Sheriff's deputies conducted an anti-prostitution operation at a motel in Pleasant Hill and arrested a woman in her 20s on suspicion of prostitution, records show. In mid-March, Dublin police and the FBI performed a broad sweep throughout Alameda and San Mateo counties, arresting several people thought to be involved in running at least six underground brothels.
Contact Nate Gartrell at 925-779-7174 or follow him at Twitter.com/NateGartrell.
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