LAPD Trick Task Force Operation

Los Angeles: Los Angeles police officers arrested 14 persons on June 22, 2007, related to prostitution activities near Lankershim Boulevard and Neenach Street, in Sun Valley.

The operation began around 6:30 PM and ended at 11:30 PM. Undercover female police officers posed as prostitutes on the street and arrested violators who stopped and solicited them for sex. Officers also impounded the suspects' cars, pursuant to City Ordinance 41.70 LAMC. In total, ten cars were seized. The City Attorney's Office will determine what fines will be levied against the arrestees' vehicles. In some cases, the cars may be permanently forfeited.

Operations-Valley Bureau vice units conduct periodic prostitution task forces in areas prone to chronic prostitution and other vice activities.

The following names of persons arrested in this operation are listed here as away to discourage future prostitution activities:

NAME                     AGE  CITY OF RESIDENCE  CHARGE   

Guevara, Jesus      27     Panorama City          647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Gonzalez, Trinidad47     Sun Valley                  647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Rojas, Benito       33      Arleta                        647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Sarkisyan, Levon 42      North Hollywood        647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Hernandez, Salvador32  Pacoima                    647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Simoniyan, Ara    35      Glendale                     647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Reyeszambrano, Diego23   Sun Valley              647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Read, Steven       56      Van Nuys                   647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Lafarga, Ascencion54    Northridge                 647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Ramirez, Epifanio 42     Sun Valley                  647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Hernandez, Anthony33   La Puente                  647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Aris, Jorge           44     Van Nuys                    647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Cruz, Emmanuel   19     Panorama City            647 (b) PC-Prostitution
Vasques, Roberto 22     North Hollywood            

Note: The arrest of any person does not imply guilt, nor does it guarantee prosecution for the charge. All arrests are referred to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

Media questions on this release may be referred to Sergeant II Scott Fairchild, Officer in Charge, Foothill Area Vice at 818-834-3170.

Comments

[One Time]

Instead of impounding their vehicles, maybe ICE/INS should have been notified so that these cretins can be shipped off to their motherlands where prostitution is legal.

[Wicked Witch of the West]

These operations are a waste of resources and degrading to officers.

[Gabe]

I'm not sure the operations are a total waste. They may have a deterrent effect that is difficult to quantify. They may provide temporary relief to the female residents of that neighborhood who are sick of being propositioned. But I agree there is a case to be made that the resources are better spent elsewhere, like maybe . . . patrol.

This form of criminal activity has a way of recurring; isn't that why they call it the world's oldest profession? When I lived there, you had many of these stings along Sepulveda Boulevard in the Valley. Chief Gates seemed to think that the operations somehow were an effective public health measure to reduce the spread of AIDS. (Not all of his ideas were as silly as that one.) Anyway, I am willing to bet that one can still find hookers there today. So one wonders about the utility of these stings when you seem to have relatively low patrol visibility.

I visited your city recently for the first time in a long time. We spent about a day there, and in that day, we did a fair amount of driving in areas including Hollywood, West LA, and the southern rim of the Valley. I have to hand it to you all for hanging in there despite being so thinly spread. In all the time we were there, we saw a single LAPD patrol car, cruising north on Topanga Canyon near Warner Center. That was it. Understand that coming from my current town, Chicago, this was unusual, although I suppose we didn't visit any particularly rough parts of your town.

In Chicago, you can't really be anywhere for more than a few minutes without seeing a marked patrol unit or cops on bikes or on foot or whatever. Of course our police here have their own sets of problems.

Best of luck and smooth sailing to you out there.

[Ed O'Shea]

I'm outraged, only one token White guy, and one token Armenian out of 14 arrested! No blacks, Asians or more white guys to arrest, shame on you guys. The consent decree will be off balance with this one, what ever will Bratton do? Most likely apologize for arresting all those misunderstood Hispanics who were just trying to get a taste. Sounds like an inequity if you ask me. We could always arrest Bratton for prostituting himself to all the special interest "community leaders"!