For years, Pomona police have taken a victim-centered approach when it comes to addressing human trafficking and prostitution along the busy Holt Avenue corridor. Known as the SET team, the two-officer team will focus its efforts on curbing prostitution in Pomona. The two officers will be assigned full time to the Holt Corridor β Holt Avenue and adjacent areas in Pomona β an area where prostitution is known to take place , according to police.
Vice officer sweeps have previously been made in the area. During a five-day prostitution sting operation in June , police arrested 15 women on suspicion of prostitution or loitering for prostitution, and 15 men on suspicion of soliciting undercover officers for various sex acts.
OIivieri established the new team shortly before announcing that he plans to retire earlier than expected. The chief told Police Department staff on Christmas morning that he will leave the city at the end of January , not in October as originally planned.
For Gonzalez, the issue is personal. The committee is spearheading five events this year to bring the fight against prostitution to the forefront. Both Gonzalez and Elizalde have gone on a ride-along with Pomona police to better understand the issue. It was then that Gonzalez said he learned Holt Avenue, between Towne and East End, is where prostitution activity is most prevalent.
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