Officials cracking down on child sex trafficking along Figueroa Corridor in South L.A.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Officials are cracking down on human trafficking in the Figueroa Corridor of South L.A.

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada is suggesting expedited results in arrests and victim rescues in a new collaboration between federal, county and city law enforcement officials, including the FBI and Homeland Security.

"With better insight into human trafficking, it became apparent that LAPD could not handle this issue alone, and we knew we couldn't arrest our way out of this problem," said interim LAPD Chief Dominic Choi.

Many sex traffickers in this area are allegedly tied to gangs, according to Estrada. A majority of their victims are young girls in foster care, he said.

"We see underage girls walking around in next to nothing, regardless of the weather, with pimps lurking nearby in cars supervising everything," Estrada said.

From January to July, 84 victims have been rescued from the Figueroa Corridor, with the youngest being 11 years old, according to LAPD.

That's compared to 60 victims rescued during that same time last year.

With the launch of the Figueroa Corridor Human Trafficking Initiative, the hope is to double those numbers, shutter motels where many of these crimes take place, and take care of the surrounding community.

L.A. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto recalls what she saw during her visits.

"This is a community of families, there are churches, there are schools and in the daytime, it was nearly as bad," she said. "There were throngs of individuals in various stages of undress, there were cars coming by and it was something that the kids had to get through to go to school, and that families had to get through to go to work."