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Crime & Safety

Arrests Spur Action on Sex Trafficking

South City police educating hoteliers; SSF working with cities, counties, police chief tells city council.

The recent arrests of a married couple from Sacramento accused of forcing three teenage girls into prostitution at a South San Francisco hotel have prompted police to recognize the signs of sexual trafficking.

“We’re not asking our hotels to profile,” South San Francisco Police Chief Mike Massoni told the city council Wednesday. “We’re asking them to be aware of certain things that may be happening.”

The police department recently met with local hotel owners to provide tips on warning signs such as heavy traffic in and out of certain rooms or large amounts of condom wrappers.

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“We want to give them an idea of what potential there is and what to look for,” Massoni said.

One council member noticed that not as many showed as showed have: “The hoteliers that needed to be there weren’t there,” said Karyl Matsumoto.

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Mayor Kevin Mullin said regardless the meeting was very informative.

The police department has been reviewing several models to adopt a protocol along with San Mateo County and neighboring counties.

These steps, he said, include providing victims of human trafficking with the necessary resources begin the process of healing from trauma and will be given assistance to leave the lifestyle.

Gangs predominantly use prostitution, Massoni said, because the punishment for involvement in human trafficking can be less severe than dealing some types of narcotics.

“They’re using this because it’s a very easy commodity to buy new,” he said.

Massoni said in the future the police department would like to meet with each South San Francisco hotel staff to provide appropriate training.

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