Kingsport is a city of approximately 56,000 residents, located along the northeast border of Tennessee. The city occupies parts of both Sullivan and Hawkins counties. Prostitution activity has been well-documented within Kingsport and  elsewhere in Sullivan County in particular, and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market is sex trafficking. Prostitution related violence – including homicide and serial murder of prostituted women – has also occurred in and around the city.

Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. For example, the Kingsport Police Department has used street-level reverse stings and web stings to apprehend sex buyers. In October 2008, the Kingsport Police Department arrested nine men on charges of solicitation as the result of a reverse sting operation. Following a series of community complaints, police responded to two Craigslist postings advertising sex. After arranging to meet with the women and placing them under arrest, undercover officers used the prostituted women to intercept sex buyers replying to their Craigslist ads. In February, 2009, the majority of the suspects arrested and charged during the sting had pleaded guilty to their charges. Five of the accused men entered guilty pleas before Kingsport General Sessions Judge and received six months of probation in lieu of prison time. The Kingsport Police Department routinely releases the names, ages, and addresses of arrestees to the media. Sex buyers can be required  to perform community service, and may also have their vehicles seized and/or driving licenses suspended.

Employment loss is another consequence of buying sex that has occurred in Kingsport.  For example, in November, 2017,  a Kingsport Police Department lieutenant pleaded guilty to patronizing prostitution following an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the man pleaded guilty to one count of patronizing prostitution. The previous month, at the request of the 2nd District Attorney General and the Kingsport Police Department, TBI Special Agents began investigating allegations of sexual misconduct involving the man. During the course of the investigation, agents found that the suspect paid to have sex while on duty and inside his unmarked police vehicle. The crime was caught on a security camera recording.