Local News in Brief : Police Arrest 44 Men in Prostitution Operation
A task force of undercover Los Angeles police vice officers arrested 44 men accused of soliciting prostitutes in a weekend operation in Pacoima that ended early Sunday.
Police have received many complaints from business owners and area residents about prostitution along San Fernando Road from Sun Valley to Sylmar, Police Lt. George Rock said.
“We do have streetwalking prostitutes that work the entire stretch of San Fernando Road,” Rock said. “It was just time to do another operation.”
Twelve undercover officers arrested the men on San Fernando Road between Osborne and Astoria streets between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m., Rock said. Friday night and early Saturday morning, 21 men were arrested and on Saturday night and Sunday morning, another 23 were arrested. Most were arrested on suspicion of solicitation for purposes of prostitution, a misdemeanor, and released on their own recognizance, he said.
These “trick task forces” are conducted periodically in Pacoima in an effort to rid the area of prostitution, Rock said.
“If we can eradicate the sources of the problem, which are the customers, then the prostitutes will move away,” Rock said.
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