Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Trafficking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Detective outlines San Rafael PD trafficking operations and calls for community awareness
Summary
Detective Karina Ornales described SRPD’s trauma-informed approach to human trafficking, noting five calls for service and eight arrests tied to an April operation (Jan–June), and urged ongoing partnerships with regional task forces and community-based organizations for victim services and outreach.
Detective Karina Ornales, who leads human-trafficking work for the San Rafael Police Department, briefed the Police Advisory and Accountability Committee on Wednesday about local enforcement approaches, victim dynamics and the department’s community outreach.
Detective Ornales said human trafficking is often hidden: victims commonly do not self‑identify, may lack identification, fear retaliation, or refuse resources. She identified the Canal neighborhood as the local street‑level area where commercial sex activity has historically concentrated and noted an online presence through advertisements as another vector for exploitation.
From January through June 15 of this year, Detective Ornales reported five calls for service tied to human-trafficking concerns and said that an April operation produced eight arrests. She described two common operational models the department uses: decoy operations that target buyers in undercover capacities and "chatting" operations where investigators undercover on online platforms identify buyers, underage‑seeking actors and potential traffickers.
Ornales said detectives apply trauma‑informed interviewing tactics, separate parties, and link victims immediately with victim services during operations; she referenced department policies 6001 and 318, which instruct personnel to engage victims and witnesses with trauma‑informed responses. The detective also described coordination with regional partners, including the ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) tasking and the Innocence Loss working group for intelligence‑sharing and wider operations.
Committee members asked how the PAC could support enforcement and outreach. Staff and the detective suggested the PAC assist with community awareness campaigns and continued partnership with community‑based organizations to connect victims to services; the department said staffing dedicated exclusively to trafficking investigations is a heavy lift and that multiagency cooperation remains essential.
Public commenters and committee members urged continued focus on trafficker networks (rather than only street‑level arrests) and on community education, and several PAC members recommended the department continue regular regional cooperation on trafficking enforcement. The committee asked staff to add recommendations from the briefing to the March presentation record and to the PAC annual report.
Detective Ornales concluded the briefing by reaffirming the department’s intent to continue operations and outreach while respecting victims’ needs and working with allied agencies for prosecution and services.
