Boulder, CO
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
---|---|
Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
Boulder is a city of roughly 97,000 residents, located 25 miles northwest of Denver in Boulder County, Colorado. The city is known to have substantial problems associated with prostitution and sex trafficking rings; in 2012, the city was listed among a handful of Colorado communities that served as the operating bases for a child sex trafficking network that advertised its services online. In a federal indictment, law enforcement reported that on at least one occasion a minor girl “was held down on a hotel bed in Boulder and “subjected … to sexual contact without her consent.””
In response, the Boulder Police Department has conducted at least two reverse stings to identify and arrest adults attempting to purchase sex from minors. In 2007, the BPD launched an investigation after receiving a tip that a local resident “had paid for sexual favors from a woman he met online.” Although the identity of the tipster was not disclosed, media outlets reported that the prostituted woman “told [BPD] detectives she became fearful for children at the school [where the john worked after he] confided that his ‘deepest, darkest secret would be to have sex with a 12-year-old girl.'” Following his arrest, the man’s name was released to the public. In 2008, it was announced that he had been sentenced to 10 days of work release, 100 hours of community service, and a fine of $500.
In June 2014, the BPD conducted a second web-based reverse sting. Officers placed a decoy advertisement to a website known for prostitution activity, wherein a female undercover officer posed as “the mother of a 12-year-old girl who was willing to sell her daughter for sex.” One john, a 24-year-old Boulder resident, was arrested after replying to the listing and arranging to pay for sex with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl. The man’s name and arrest photo were also released to the public.
Key Partners
- Boulder Police Department
- Internet Crimes Against Children Unit
Key Sources
- National Assessment Survey
- Proposed John School:
- Web-Based Reverse Stings and Shaming:
- “Police Sting Nets School Counselor; Michael Barta Arrested on Suspicion of Soliciting Prostitution”, Boulder Daily Camera, June 14 2007.
- “Ex-Counselor Sentenced to Work Crew over Prostitute”, Boulder Daily Camera, February 5 2008.
- “Boulder Police Arrest 24-Year-Old on Child Prostitution, Sexual Assault Charges”, Boulder Daily Camera, June 19 2014.
- Vehicle Seizure:
- Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “Ex-Counselor Sentenced to Work Crew over Prostitute”, Boulder Daily Camera, February 5 2008.
- “4 Charged in Alleged Child-Prostitute Ring in Colorado”, CBS/KCNC-TV 4, January 30 2012.
- “Editorial: Child Victims Need More Protection”, Boulder Daily Camera, February 1 2012.
- “Boulder Police Arrest 24-Year-Old on Child Prostitution, Sexual Assault Charges”, Boulder Daily Camera, June 19 2014.
- Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Halfway House under Fire after Allegations; Former Residents Come Forward with Other Accusations”, Boulder Daily Camera, February 28 2005.
- “Police & Courts; Boulder; Two Women Jailed for Prostitution, Drugs”, Boulder Daily Camera, May 6 2005.
- “Police Investigate Possible Prostitution”, Boulder Daily Camera, August 30 2006.
- “Boulder Man Suspected of Operating Escort Service; Man Also Wanted on Suspicion of Having Child Porn”, Boulder Daily Camera, October 11 2006.
- “Boulder Man Faces Pimping Charges”, Boulder Daily Camera, March 7 2007.
- Documented Violence against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “Man Accused of Soliciting a Prostitute; Three Homeless People Arrested in Alleged Incident”, Boulder Daily Camera, February 6 2005.
- “Police: Boulder Visitors Robbed after Paying Escorts”, Boulder Daily Camera, June 22 2009.
State | Colorado |
Type | City |
Population | 97385 |
Location |
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