SFPD Conducts Soliciting for Prostitution Enforcement Operations 24-050

The San Francisco Police Department Mission Station conducted eight nights of enforcement operations to address crimes related to soliciting prostitution from Wednesday, May 8, 2024, to Sunday, May 19, 2024. The operations were focused on Shotwell Street between 18th Street and 21st Street and a secondary location of South Van Ness Avenue and 18th Street. The arrests were made at various locations but originated from these two areas.

The enforcement operations resulted in 30 adults being arrested, which consisted of 17 arrests for paying for sexual acts (647(b)(2) PC) and 13 arrests for accepting money for sexual acts (647(b)(1) PC). Ten individuals are from San Francisco and the remainder of the suspects are from outside San Francisco and California.

Mission Police Station will continue to patrol and conduct operations in this neighborhood which is being negatively impacted by the increased foot traffic of illegal sex workers and vehicles. This flow of people committing crimes from littering used condoms, double parking, and blocking roadways in addition to the acts of prostitution has created hazardous street conditions for those who live and work in the area. The SFPD will hold those accountable for their actions who are coming into our neighborhoods to commit crimes and disturb the peace.

The SFPD would like to thank the Mission Station Plainclothes Team and Mission Station Patrol Officers who were instrumental in these operations and the SFPD Special Victims Unit (SVU) who assisted in these investigations.