Orange County District Attorney Press Release
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2014
SANTA ANA – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) is hosting its 2nd Annual “Keep Calm and Beat H.E.A.T. Rocking & Rally” on Oct. 24, 2014, as a day-long symposium with a concert immediately after at Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange. This is the first year Chapman University will co-host and co-sponsor this event to fight against Human Trafficking and Exploitation (H.E.A.T.) as part of the initiative to go after perpetrators of human trafficking and exploitation with vigor, while taking a comprehensive approach to solve the problem and bring community stakeholders together.
The symposium will be held to increase community awareness on human exploitation and trafficking, the second-largest criminal enterprise in the nation and a $32 billion a year industry. A rock concert will immediately follow with Director of Music Stan Frazier, of Sugar Ray, at the helm.
In April 2013, OCDA formed the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, which targets perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic women and underage girls for financial gain, including pimps, panderers, and human traffickers. Commercial sex trafficking is the second most lucrative criminal enterprise behind narcotics trafficking. Often the perpetrators are gang members and/or career criminals. To date, the Unit has prosecuted 41 cases with 100% conviction rate.
The HEAT Unit also targets defendants who create a demand for prostitution by soliciting and purchasing sex, which increases the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children. The HEAT Unit uses a tactical plan called PERP: Prosecution of human trafficking perpetrators and sex purchasers; Education for law enforcement to properly handle human trafficking and pandering cases; Resources to raise public awareness and provide assistance to the victims; and Publicity to inform the community about the problem and notify human traffickers and sex purchasers that this crime cannot be perpetrated without suffering severe consequences.
Co-Sponsors
The OCDA would like to thank the co-sponsors for this event: Chapman University, Anaheim Councilwoman Kris Murray, Community Service Programs Inc. and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, Diamond Bar Councilwoman Ling Ling Chang, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen, Rancho Santa Margarita Councilman Steven Baric, Mike Schroeder, OCDA Chief of Staff Susan Kang Schroeder, and State Board of Equalization Vice Chair Michelle Steel.
Anyone interested in becoming a co-sponsor can contact Kang Schroeder at (714) 347-8408 or email beatHEAT@da.ocgov.com. Additional sponsors will be named in the months to come.
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Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Contacts:
Susan Kang Schroeder
Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718
Farrah Emami
Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486
