Gates is a town of approximately 29,000 residents, located in western New York’s Monroe County on the outskirts of Rochester. In addition to several small-scale stings targeting women selling commercial sex, local law enforcement has conducted at least two investigations targeting sex buyers in the community.

In January 2015, Gates Police Department officers conducted a reverse sting using a female undercover officer as a decoy. Two days after conducting a similar anti-prostitution detail targeting women engaged in prostitution. Six men were arrested as a result; each was charged with third-degree patronizing a prostitute and issued an appearance ticket. The men’s names, ages, hometowns, and arrest photos were released to the public.

When asked about the investigation, a representative with the GPD stated that “they believe putting the information out there will deter others from committing [the same] crime” and noted that since “they started doing this kind of detail three years ago… they have never had the same male arrested twice for soliciting a prostitute.” Another officer reported that the “operation was started after the mother of a drug-addicted prostitute reached out to [the GPD] for help.”

In August 2015, GPD officers and local news outlets reported the arrest of a Rochester criminal defense lawyer during a similar anti-prostitution investigation. Although the details of the sting were not disclosed, the man’s identity and arrest photo was publicized in the press. The GPD reported to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that they had arrested 33 sex buyers in sting operations since 2011 (as well as 125 sex sellers).

In January 2020, a Gates man was arrested in a web-based reverse sting after attempting to have sex with a 13-year-old child. The man had engaged in online conversations with a person he believed to be a mother prostituting her 13-year-old daughter, who was actually an undercover New York State Police investigator. The man exchanged texts and phone calls with the undercover officer, agreeing to pay $100 to have sex with the child, but was arrested when he arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place with $100, condoms, and candy to give to the child. He was charged with online enticement of a minor. The operation was conducted by the New York State Police Troop E Major Crimes Unit and Homeland Security Investigations.