Human Trafficking
The Federal Department of Justice Byrne / Safe Border Community Project (SBCP) in San Diego County worked closely with law enforcement and community stakeholders to reduce crime and violence along the U.S. / Mexico border. Its focus was to address youth gang activity, community policing, child sex trafficking, and regional auto theft by creating task forces that addressed the factors contributing to these issues, while advancing policies that resulted in sustainable reductions in problems.
Policies developed by these task forces included a Crime Free Multi-Housing ordinance that mandated training for property managers of buildings that had excessive police calls for service. A Safe Passage Program was also established that ensured clean and safe routes for children commuting to and from school. A set of policy recommendations was made to address auto theft, including an update of the crime reporting system known as ARJIS (Automated Regional Justice Information System) to include a field for location of recovered stolen vehicles.
The Child Sex Trafficking Task Force was also successful in fostering greater collaboration between law enforcement and victim services agencies, educators, and faith-based organizations.
In addition to organizing and managing these task forces, IPS facilitated information-sharing and collaboration among law enforcement, community leaders, social and health service providers, prevention agencies, local businesses, and property owners. Project staff also conducted community surveys and assessments along with researching successful evidence-based strategies that had been successful in other communities.