Frederick is a city of approximately 80,000 residents that serves as the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland.  It is situated between Hagerstown and Gaithersburg along Interstate 27o in the northern part of the state.  Prostitution activity generates numerous complaints to police, and these complaints play a role in police devoting the resources to prostitution operations. Sex trafficking is known to occur in the area, and at least one person has been convicted for sex trafficking in the city. In November, 2022, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office announced it had dismantled a human trafficking and prostitution network, and arrested a Bethesda woman on 14 prostitution counts and two sex trafficking offenses. Authorities say they began an investigation after receiving citizen complaints about suspicious activity at two spas in Frederick.

Among the tactics used to combat problems associated with prostitution and sex trafficking are those focused on combating consumer level demand.  Since at least 1992, the Frederick Police Department has conducted multiple street-level reverse stings. In February 2006, The Frederick News-Post reported that FPD officers had offered informal training sessions for police in neighboring towns who expressed interest in learning more about reverse sting tactics. Since roughly 2000,  small scale reverse stings have been conducted on a routine basis, with an average of 3-5 arrests per operation. The FPD releases all arrestee names and other identifying information to the public. City officials may also post the names and photos of arrestees on their website for 30 days.

Web based reverse stings have also occurred in Frederick.  For example, in December, 2022, police arrested a man in Maryland for alleged sex trafficking offenses originating in San Jose, California. Detectives with Santa Clara County’s and San Jose Police Department’s human trafficking task forces arrested the Maryland man in Frederick with the help of the city’s police department and other local law enforcement agencies. The suspect was arrested after a months-long investigation stemming from his allegedly initiating online contact with who he believed to be a 16-year-old female. Police said after extensive conversations with an undercover officer, the man solicited the decoy for commercial sex. According to a press statement, the man bought the fictitious minor a plane ticket from San Jose to Baltimore where he arranged to meet with her with the intention of sexually exploiting her.