Catonsville is a census-designated place of about 42,000 residents in Baltimore County, Maryland. The community lies to the west of Baltimore, along the city’s border. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of Baltimore County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market are sex trafficking, child endangerment, and violence committed against people involved in these transactions.

Consumer-level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies in their strategy for prevention and response. The Baltimore County Police Department has conducted many reverse stings in an effort to contain or reduce prostitution and sex trafficking in the Catonsville area. For example, a crackdown in 1994 focused on prostitution and trafficking along the Pulaski Highway, and reverse stings conducted over five days resulted in the arrest of 77 sex buyers. The focus on this area of the county continued through 1995, and several additional stings pushed the total of arrested sex buyers to 120. In February 2014, a reverse sting led to the arrest of four sex buyers, including one police officer. The names and other identifiers of the arrestees have been released to news outlets.