The Town of Castle Rock is a home rule municipality in Colorado of approximately 76,000 residents. It is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Douglas County, CO. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented in the city and surrounding area. This activity and its ancillary crimes have generated complaints from residents and businesses to local law enforcement. For example, in 2011, investigators working on a Denver-area prostitution ring case stated that a mansion in Castle Rock was serving as a front for a sophisticated prostitution ring with ties to strip clubs in the city. According to reports, the investigation was initiated after a series of anonymous tips alerted authorities to the alleged operation in early fall of 2011. The suspected leader of the prostitution ring and owner of the home was arrested in November 2011 on numerous felony charges including sex trafficking/pimping, pandering, and money laundering. In addition, 10 women were found to be connected to the alleged leader and were also charged for assisting in the prostitution ring. In addition to arrests, police seized multiple luxury vehicles, an extensive collection of guns, amongst additional items. The sex trafficker’s identity and image were included in reports by local media outlets.

To combat consumer-level demand for commercial sex, the Castle Rock Police Department has been known to have participated in at least one web-based reverse sting operation. For example, in April 2016, a federal web-based reverse sting operation focused on targeting the demand for prostitution and sex trafficking during World Cannabis Week in Colorado, resulted in the recovery of five child sex trafficking victims, the arrest of nine sex traffickers/pimps, and the arrest of 26 adults on prostitution-related charges. The investigation consisted of numerous sex trafficking operations being conducted across the Denver Metro area and along the Front Range during the week of April 18 due to the influx of tourists that the state experiences during large-scale events which has also demonstrated an increase in demand for commercial sex during these events. According to research conducted by FBI personnel, before and after World Cannabis Week in 2015, researchers noted a 35 percent increase in the number of online escort postings, in addition to nearly 40 percent of escorts reportedly traveled to Colorado for the event. The Castle Rock Police Department was amongst the 20 local, state, and federal agencies that participated in the investigation. One of the recovered minors, a 15-year-old victim, had been transported to Colorado from California by traffickers specifically for “420 Week.” Law enforcement arrested nine alleged traffickers on numerous felonies, including human trafficking for sexual servitude. Police also arrested an alleged pedophile who made arrangements with an undercover officer to sexually exploit a 7-year-old in exchange for money. Police released the identities and images of a few men arrested on sex trafficking charges.

Prostitution, C.R.S. 18-7-201, in Castle Rock and Parker includes paying someone to engage in sexual acts. There are many prostitution-related criminal offenses in Colorado, including Soliciting for Prostitution, Pandering, Keeping a Place of Prostitution, Patronizing a Prostitute and Pimping. Police and the Sheriff in Castle Rock often stage prostitution stings to catch men and women they suspect are engaged in Prostitution.