Local law enforcement agencies from different jurisdictions are working together to put a stop to human trafficking in our community.

The Regional Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Team is comprised of detectives from Reno Police Department, Sparks Police Department, and Washoe County School District Police Department.

Just last month, the squad used undercover detectives to crack down on solicitors and it ended with six people being cited for solicitation of prostitution.

"Reno is a somewhat of a large city, with almost at 300,000 people, and with that, you are going to see some aspect of the commercial sex trade here," said Chris Johnson, Public Information Officer, Reno Police Department.

Johnson is not currently on the team, but was from 2020 to 2024. He does want to clarify that prostitution in most Nevada counties is illegal.

"Reno has a history, with brothels being around Reno, not in Washoe County themselves," the officer said. "So, there is a misconception that prostitution is legal in Nevada. In Washoe County, as well as many other counties, it is illegal, so you cannot purchase another human being here in Washoe County for sex."

Johnson says trafficking can happen in many ways, from the streets, to online, and even massage parlors.

Earlier this year, the team shut down a massage parlor in south Reno.

Johnson says its not just the traffickers the team targets.

"The HEAT team aggressively goes after the Johns or the sex purchasers, as well as the traffickers while trying to get the victims help," he said. "So, when you look at it, it's a problem of economics. So, if you didn't have somebody willing to purchase another human being for sex, you wouldn't have somebody trying to recruit, groom and sell an individual for sex."

Johnson said there's a common trend with a lot of victims.

"What's interesting, what we found, is a lot of individuals who are being sold as victims in the commercial sex trade were actually, a lot of them were sexually exploited as children, whether it was online or through family members or acquaintances," the officer said.

The team says things are very fluid and unpredictable.

"We saw traffickers from all walks of life," Johnson said. "You saw sex purchasers from all walks of life. You also saw victims from all walks of life, whether they were teenagers, through adulthood."

For parents, Johnson says they should always be aware what is happening in their child's lives.

"As parents, the biggest thing is to have an be an active participant in your child's life as well as their online life," he said. "Understand who they're talking to online, understand who they're communicating with, what apps they're using. Just because your kid has a cell phone with one phone number, there are applications you can download so that you have three, four or five different phone numbers on that same phone where they can communicate with other individuals without you knowing." 

Organizations like Safe Embrace say they are also seeing issues with trafficking on their end and feel it's often under-reported.

"A third of our clients that we help have had incidents of human trafficking," said Leslie Berg, Client Services Manager, Safe Embrace.

Berg says any victim is welcome to walk through their doors. She says Safe Embrace is hosting Project 86, which is a program where they go to different businesses to educate them on signs of grooming and trafficking.

"I think education is going to be a huge weapon against human trafficking in our community," Berg said.

If you are a victim or know someone who is, Safe Embrace has a 24-hour hotline if you need assistance. It's (775) 322-3466. If you feel like it's an emergency do not hesitate to call 911.