Stratford is a town of approximately 52,000 residents, located in southern coastal Connecticut’s Fairfield County. As in the neighboring communities of Bridgeport and Milford, prostitution activity has been reported in the town for several years. It has also been linked to an array of violent crimes, including sex trafficking of minors, robberies and assaults on attempted sex buyers, and targeted homicides of women engaged in prostitution.

On at least three occasions, local law enforcement have incorporated the use of tactics to address underlying demand for prostitution. In February 2014, an investigation into alleged prostitution at a local hotel resulted in the arrest of three sex buyers. Although the Stratford Police Department officers did not disclose details about the sting, they did release the names, ages, dates of birth, and arrest photos of each of the three sex buyers to local media outlets. The Connecticut Post reported that the offenders were intercepted after “attempting to solicit sexual favors for money.”

In June 2016, twelve men were arrested during a reverse sting operation at a hotel in Stratford. The reverse sting was a joint effort by the Stratford Police Narcotics Vice and Intelligence Unit and Bridgeport Police Tactical Narcotics Team. The operation was conducted over two days at a hotel located on South Avenue in Stratford. The operation was the result of complaints received concerning prostitution and human trafficking at area hotels.

In late October 2017, Stratford Police arrested six people, including four alleged sex buyers, after detectives placed online ads on Backpage, Cityvibe and Craigslist. Undercover officers eventually met up with the suspects at hotels, after which the sex buyers were arrested.