Brunswick is a city of about 15,000 residents, situated in southeastern Georgia’s Glynn County, near Savannah and north of Jacksonville, Florida. Reports of prostitution activity in the community date back close to two decades, and have generated complaints from business owners and local residents. At least one serial rapist who targeted sex sellers has also operated in the city.

To reduce commercial sex sales, the Glynn/Brunswick Narcotics Enforcement Team has conducted periodic reverse stings since at least 2004. Operations are conducted at street level using female police decoys, and are often guided by citizen’s complaints about suspected prostitution activity. “John” stings have at times been launched in parallel with stings targeting individuals selling sex. Since at least 2010, local media outlets have publicized the identities of all individuals arrested during these investigations (i.e., both buyers and sellers).