by John Glidden | glid24@protonmail.com | November 2, 2025
VALLEJO – A special public safety subcommittee of the Vallejo City Council is scheduled to receive information next week about a proposed Sex Trafficking Reduction Program, which is expected to cost the city at least $160,000. The proposal also includes the purchase of two new drones.
The subcommittee, composed of councilmembers, Tonia Lediju (District 3), Alexander Matias (District 1) and Charles Palmares (District 4) will receive the proposal from the Vallejo Police Department at 6 p.m., Wednesday, November 5 inside the Vallejo Room, located on the lower floor of the John F. Kennedy Public Library.
Despite having the ability to video record inside the Vallejo Room, the city does not record the meetings.
Under the proposal, authored by Capt. Jerome Bautista, the police department’s new Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Team, a specialized unit focused on proactively addressing crime trends and quality of life concerns, will be assigned to carry out the three-phase operation over the span of five months.
The POP team is led by Sgt. Justin Samaniego, and includes Cpl. Patrick Knowles, Ofc. Zachary McKenna and Ofc. Elias Diaz. Investigations Division Lt. Josh Caitham will serve as program coordinator.
The first phase will include surveillance and intelligence gathering operations, which will be used to “identify potential sex buyers, aka. ‘Johns,’ with the focus of enforcement on the ‘Johns,’ according to the proposal.
“These operations will assist in identifying known prostitutes and ‘Johns’ who are frequenting the affected area and result in demand reduction police contacts,” Bautista wrote. “Technology will also be utilized to support intelligence gathering, enforcement engagements, and criminal prosecutions.”
The next phase will focus on undercover sting operations.
“This will consist of using an undercover (UC) officer posing as a ‘John’ to facilitate a transaction with a prostitute to obtain evidence for a violation of (the penal code),” according to the proposal.
The final phase will utilized undercover officers posing as prostitutes.
Police is also proposing the purchase of two new drones, “to monitor prostitution activity, undercover operation surveillance, and officer safety should an officer be taken against their will.”
The proposal provides two different cost estimates for the new drones. An exterior-use drone is expected to cost between $9,000 to $10,000, while a drone for interior use will be between $2,000 to $3,000.
The bulk of the overall budget, more than $114,000, is expected to be spent on overtime for four officers to augment the POP team.
Daily vehicle and hotel rentals are also included in the budget, with the department expecting to spend $50 to $100 on “rental vehicles to assist with operational details,” while also spending $100 to $150 “to conduct undercover sting operations of internet-based prostitution.”
Vallejo police has previously expressed dismay with SB 357, the Safer Streets for All Act, which went into effect in January 2023. The law prevents law enforcement from citing or arresting individuals for loitering in connection with prostitution.
The department introduced the controversial “Report John” Program in 2022. ReportJohn.org is an online and mobile reporting system that allows community members to anonymously report vehicles observed in soliciting sex or attempting to engage in illicit sexual activity, the Vallejo Times-Herald reported at the time.
To use the program, residents have been encouraged to provide identifying information through the system, including a photo of the vehicle/suspect, license plate number, time, date, location of the suspected offense, and any other relevant information.
Once a report is submitted, the department’s Community Services Section reviews the report and if substantiated, a “visibility letter” is issued to the registered vehicle owner indicating that their vehicle was observed in an area known to have high rates of human trafficking and commercial sex work activity.
“Integrating a Sex Trafficking Reduction Program within VPD Operations will strengthen the
Department’s connection to the community, give citizens confidence in VPD’s proactive
enforcement against prostitution and human trafficking, and provide exit strategies for sex
workers by offering support and services,” the proposal states. “Substantial costs will be necessary to fund uniforms, equipment and training; however, the program offers a high return on investment in both public trust and operational efficiency.”
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