It’s officially Super Bowl weekend in San Francisco and police are cracking down on visitors and fans who may be hiring sex workers for the evening.
An estimated 1.3million people are believed to be traveling to northern California for Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.
But beyond the typical drunkenness and other minor crimes which may be expected at any football game, the Super Bowl has long been at the center of concerns for human trafficking and prostitution.Â
Authorities in the Bay Area say they have already made a number of arrests related to sex work – detaining traffickers and Johns alike.
‘Come have a good time at the Super Bowl. Don’t engage in commercial sex because we’re out in force and we’re enforcing the laws!’ said Josh Singleton, the Commander of the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Task Force (via TMZ).
Singleton says officers have arrested people who have forced women and underage girls into online sex work and street prostitution. Â
Police in San Francisco are cracking down on sex trafficking and prostitution, leading to arrests
The Super Bowl has long been a hive for trafficking due to the sheer number of visitors
Their Johns and traffickers, Singleton said, are sometimes forcing these women and girls into having sex 15 times per day.
Authorities also say clients are paying less for services due to high levels of competition. Sessions which normally range to as high as $350 are now as low as $60.Â
As horrific as this is, Singleton says that arrests of the men exploiting these women and girls are on the rise due to undercover operations.
He believes that the number of busts will continue to climb throughout the weekend.
Human rights groups have long pointed to the Super Bowl and other large events as hives for trafficking operations due to the massive influx of visitors.
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Super Bowl sparks major spike in prostitution arrests in San Francisco as cops fire warning ahead of big game