ROSEVILLE, CA – The Placer District Attorney’s Office is joining the Placer County Probation Department and Placer County Sheriff’s Office to report that Senate Bill 14, a law to hold human traffickers accountable, went into effect on the first of the year – a timely kick off to Human Trafficking Prevention Month.  

“The Placer County District Attorney’s Office will continue to hold human traffickers accountable, and this new law will assist in those efforts,” said Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire. “Human trafficking is one of the most depraved crimes, often hiding in plain sight in our communities. Our prosecutors will use every tool available to us to remove traffickers from our streets.”   

Authored by Senator Shannon Grove, Senate Bill 14 makes the crime of sex trafficking of minors a serious felony—or a “strike”-- under California’s Three Strikes law. Due to that change, repeat traffickers may be imprisoned for life. 

The Placer County District Attorney’s Office has dedicated prosecutors in the Special Prosecutions Unit who are ready to apply this new law as they are reviewing and prosecuting human trafficking cases.  

California consistently ranks first in the nation in the number of human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Despite that alarming statistic, in the past decade the state has lowered penalties for traffickers and enacted policies that make it harder for law enforcement to protect trafficking victims.  SB 14 is a step in the right direction. 

To raise awareness, the District Attorney’s Office is joining the Placer County Probation Department, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Placer County Board of Education, Placer County Children System of Care, and other community partners to kick off Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This month will include a new information portal, a new resource call-line, virtual training opportunities, a documentary premier, and more. 

A list of events can be found here and the Placer County Human Trafficking Resource Portal can be found here.