Santa Clara County’s task force rescues 73 s** trafficking victims including 10 minors during Super Bowl LX

In the two weeks before Super Bowl LX, Santa Clara County’s Human Trafficking Task Force, made up of 20 analysts from agencies such as their own Sheriff’s Office, the DA’s Crime Strategies Unit, federal agencies, and community organizations like In Our Backyard and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, set up a command center in Sunnyvale.The analysts acted on real-time tips and worked with on-field agents to conduct investigations and make arrests. According to the County’s Feb. 19 report, they rescued 73 s** trafficking victims, including 10 minors. One minor, trafficked in Oakland, was just 12 years old.The District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement, “Beyond football, the Super Bowl was a triumph of Bay Area law enforcement planning, organization, cooperation, and safety. Human trafficking is not a game; it’s a tragedy. However, our team was successful.Close to 70 agencies effectively discouraged traffickers from exploiting the game and victims. For traffickers that still came to the game from all over the world with bad intentions, many ended up behind bars.”The commanding officer of the task force, Lt. Josh Singleton, said there were several hotspots, including Salinas, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Vallejo. However, he said trafficking can happen anywhere, often right under the public eye.29 traffickers were arrested across 11 Bay Area counties during Super Bowl LX. Singleton said it could not be determined whether the uptick in arrests was due to the sporting event or the coordinated efforts of agencies, law enforcement, and social workers to combat human trafficking.Sharan Dhanoa, director of South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, told KQED that the high volumes of arrests and recoveries only show that the law enforcement agencies are using resources not available year-round.Nearly 20 victims were recovered from San Mateo County alone. ABC7 San Francisco contacted District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, who told them, “So far in this operation, we’ve had two cases. Only two cases submitted to us at this point. We have filed charges. One of them is a 19-year-old woman who is the trafficker. She is in our county jail facing human trafficking charges.”Wagstaffe added that prosecuting traffickers is difficult because it requires evidence of the crime and a cooperative victim. If survivors cooperate, traffickers could face 15 to 20 years or even life in prison.After Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the Task Force’s next operation is the 2026 FIFA World Cup, also at Levi’s Stadium, from June 13 to July 1. The games will take place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Eight matches will be at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, and six at Levi’s Stadium.