This article is reprinted with permission from Behind the Badge. Cruising down Beach Boulevard last month, in broad daylight just five days before Christmas, he spotted a woman who appeared to be a street prostitute.
Men in cars solicited the undercover officers for sex within minutes of them taking turns walking from the motel, past a bus stop and to a corner strip mall.
Chris Cooper said. By the end of the operation, the APD had arrested 11 men the crime they are accused of is a misdemeanor. The task force takes a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach β a stark contrast to how those working in the sex trade were perceived in the past: as criminals. APD Sgt. Juan Revelas, who has run the law enforcement component of OCHTTF since , participated in the John sting, keeping his eyes on the female undercover officers as they strolled down the street and effortlessly attracted potential clients.
Just before 3 p. Street prostitution is one piece of the sex trafficking pie, Cooper explained. Some Johns prefer to hook up with prostitutes over the Internet and meet in high-end hotels. Others prefer to visit illicit massage parlors.
Others are out-of-town convention-goers looking for sex. Although Johns hitting up street prostitutes make up only a small percentage of the demand side, the problem impacts residents and businesses, Cooper said.
