San Rafael advisors hear youth-led Speak Safe presentation on online exploitation and urge school partnerships

San Rafael — At a March 18 meeting of the Police Advisory and Accountability Committee, members heard a detailed, youth-led presentation from Speak Safe on online child exploitation, sextortion and rapidly evolving risks from artificial intelligence, and discussed next steps including school partnerships and a possible task force.

Marlene Capra, founder of Speak Safe (Save Adolescence from Exploitation), told the committee the group brings students into classrooms and community settings to teach prevention and response. "94% of child sex crimes will happen contact on social media first," Capra said, summarizing the organization’s recent findings. She and student interns described peer‑education programs, resources for takedown requests and a county internship of more than 40 students who deliver age‑appropriate lessons.

The presentation combined local examples and national trends: students and staff said one in five teenagers report experiencing extortion, and speakers warned of a sharp rise in AI‑generated compromising images. Capra said schools were supposed to receive trafficking education under California’s AB 1227 mandate and noted that state funding for that curriculum is not provided; the program instead relies on community donations.

Why it matters: Committee members said the material points to gaps in school health curricula and police training. Member Rodas urged the committee to work with San Rafael City Schools to bring Speak Safe into classrooms and wellness teams. "This is something we should get into our schools," Rodas said. Several members also proposed exploring a focused task force on trafficking and online exploitation, while asking staff to return with an inventory of existing local programs and police training to avoid duplicating services.

Details of the presentation: Student interns outlined how grooming and sextortion typically occur, described tools for reporting and removing images (including National Center for Missing & Exploited Children resources), and explained bystander interventions young people can use. A student noted rising harms from chat‑agent companions and AI image generation; presenters said only a minority of youth who experience exploitative images come forward.

District Attorney Lori Foroli and survivor‑advocate Megan Escoto later joined the meeting to describe prosecution and response strategies for adults and minors. Escoto emphasized that "the number one trafficker is their family" in many minor cases and urged trauma‑informed police contact and demand‑reduction enforcement.

Committee reaction and next steps: Members praised the student presenters and asked for clearer data sources and delivery plans for schools. Several members urged the police department to consider trauma‑informed response training for first responders and to partner with Speak Safe on a school rollout; others recommended a task force but asked staff to report existing resources and program responsibilities before the committee establishes a new body.

The committee did not take a formal vote on a task force at the meeting; members asked staff and SRPD to return at a future meeting with program inventories, existing training outlines and options for collaboration. The meeting also included earlier staff reports — including an SRPD recruitment update — and routine business that was approved by roll call.