Belcamp, sometimes referred to as “Riverside,” is a census-designated place of approximately 6,000 residents, located near Aberdeen in Harford County, Maryland. Prostitution activity has been well-documented within the city, and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies.

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, in late June 2014, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office conducted a street-level reverse sting along a portion of Riverside Parkway in Belcamp that contains several hotels and motels. The operation employed undercover female deputies, who posed as prostituted women. Three sex buyers were arrested as a result; each of the men’s names, ages, and addresses were publicized in local media outlets. When asked about the operation, a HCSO spokesperson asserted that the sting “was a proactive attempt to counter illegal prostitution and related criminal activity and gather intelligence concerning the growing problem of human sex trade trafficking,” and reported that the HCSCO conducts such operations “two to four times a year.”