Bibb County is geographically located in the Central Georgia region and is the largest county in the Macon metropolitan area. Bibb County has approximately 157,000 residents. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city, surrounding communities, and other areas of the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses.

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. The county has conducted several operations designed to address consumer-level demand for trafficked or commercial sex initiated online. For example, in January 2018, a man was found guilty of and charged with traveling to a motel with the intent to have sex with a 15-year-old girl in March 2015. He was convicted on one count of computer pornography and child exploitation and one count of criminal attempt to commit a felony. A Bibb County Superior Court judge sentenced him to 25 years, 15 of them in prison, and will be additionally required to register as a sex offender for life. Evidence presented during the trial showed that the offender responded to a Craig’s List advertisement for sex with a 15-year-old girl and her mother. The ad was posted by undercover police officers as part of a sting operation. He acknowledged in an email responding to the ad that he knew sex with a 15-year-old would be illegal and testified that he believed he was talking to the girl’s mother (when in reality, he was emailing an FBI agent). He arrived at a Macon motel eight minutes after being given a meeting place and time.

In 2017, two Bibb County deputies resigned after using an ad website known for prostitution. The FBI began a probe into the deputies for their use of Backpage.com. In August, the FBI notified the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office that during a sex trafficking investigation, they uncovered that a Bibb deputy may have been in contact with a female prostitute. The FBI reported that his phone number was found on the woman’s phone. The sheriff’s office also launched an internal investigation after the FBI began theirs. The investigation then revealed that a second deputy had been involved with a prostitute as well – they found no proof that the deputies engaged in physical contact with the women. Still, there was evidence of text and picture message exchanges. After the investigation, the findings were forwarded to the chief deputy to determine policy violations and potential sanctions.