Ada is a city in Oklahoma of approximately 17,000 residents. It is the county seat of Pontotoc County, OK. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been documented in the city and surrounding areas. Among the more serious issues associated with the city’s commercial sex market are child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation. For example, in 2015, a 31-year-old Ada man was arrested on four felony charges after a friend had discovered child sex abuse material on the offender’s phone of the offender and a child. The offender was officially arrested on charges of two counts of forcible oral sodomy, possession of “child pornography” (child sexual abuse materials, or CSAM), and soliciting a minor under the age of 12 to make child pornography.

In effort to deter instances of commercial sex in the city, the Ada Police Department has employed demand reduction tactics such as street-level reverse stings and shaming. The department has conducted at least two street-level reverse stings, if not more, since 2006. Officer frequently release the identities of arrested sex buyers. For example, in 2007, a street-level reverse sting resulted in the arrest of two male sex buyers. The investigation was initiated in response to the ongoing issues of soliciting for prostitution at Ada’s Wintersmith Park. Both men were charged with solicitation of sexual favors, or prostitution, after reportedly propositioning an undercover Ada police detective at Wintersmith Park. The charges are misdemeanor offenses, but police said their goal in the sting was to discourage sexual crimes in the park. Police refused to comment on the record about the arrests because of the ongoing nature of the park investigation. It was the second time in 12 months that APD detectives conducted such a sting. Additionally, police stated that the first time a street-level reverse sting had occurred in the city was in July 2006, in which four male sex buyers were arrested on similar charges. Maj. Carl Allen, APD Assistant Chief, stated that officers would continue carrying out similar stings in the future, if necessary, to alleviate the problem of sex crimes in the park.

Ada’s Municipal Code for Prostitution may be accessed here.