What:
Los Angeles County and City of Long Beach officials will gather in Long Beach to launch the Safe Youth Zone program, which creates a network of safe places for child sex trafficking victims and children in desperate situations to seek help and services at designated facilities. The program will be piloted at Compton and Century Sheriff’s Stations, Lynwood and Willowbrook County Fire Stations, and the Long Beach Police Department’s downtown station.
Who:
* Don Knabe, Los Angeles County Supervisor
* Dr. Robert Garcia, Mayor, City of Long Beach
* Daryl Osby, Chief, Los Angeles County Fire Department
* Robert Luna, Chief, Long Beach Police Department
* Chris Marks, Captain, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Human Trafficking Bureau
* Michelle Guymon, Los Angeles County Probation Department
* Jessica Midkiff, Survivor-Advocate
When:
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
10:30am
Where:
Long Beach Police Department Headquarters
Community Room – 1st Floor
400 West Broadway, Long Beach, 90802
(Located at west end of the building, near Magnolia Ave.)
Background:
Earlier this year, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe called for the expansion and rebranding of the County’s Safe House Program, which offers safety to children who are running from a bully or away from home. Supervisor Knabe’s goal was to expand the program to create a network of safe places for victims of child sex trafficking to seek out when they were put on the street by their pimp or trafficker. In doing so, the program was renamed the Safe Youth Zone program and the County’s First Responder Protocol for Law Enforcement was implemented to ensure victims who come in seeking help are directed to life changing services and programs. The Safe Youth Zone program will initially encompass all County Fire Stations and Sheriff Stations, before rolling out to facilities countywide. Designated Safe Youth Zones will be identified by a bright yellow placard placed near the entrance to facilities.