Cookeville is a city of about 35,000 residents in northern Tennessee’s Putnam County. Prostitution and child sex trafficking have been identified as substantial local problem and generated numerous complaints from residents to law enforcement.

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 Cookeville Police Department has used women undercover officers to stage prostitution reverse stings at local businesses, such as spas, where johns may solicit prostitution. In September 2009, for example, a reverse sting was conducted following an investigation of a spa that provided storefront cover for a brothel.  Once sufficient evidence was collected to support a raid of the brothel, the takedown occurred and the staff arrested.  The brothel was then “staffed” by undercover officers, and additional appointments were made with customers.  Those who appeared and offered to pay for sex were arrested.  All arrestees had their names and ages, as well as the charges filed against them, reported in the local news media. Complaints continued, and in November 2013, CPD officers conducted a web-based reverse sting with the support of the Algood Police Department, that resulted in the arrests of four sex buyers. In an interview with the Cookeville Herald-Citizen about the investigation, a CPD representative commented at the time:

“This is a new and growing area of crime for us. We are going to try our best to divert and deter this kind of activity… Our concern is all of the drug activity and crime that goes with it that is not welcome in Cookeville… We are absolutely dedicated to making these operations successful.”

In November 2015, media outlets reported the completion of an additional sting using online advertisements. During the investigation, law enforcement arrested four men on charges of patronizing prostitution, and one woman for prostitution. One of the sex buyers intercepted during the sting was also charged with solicitation of a minor, as he allegedly attempted to purchase access to sexually abuse a decoy whom he thought was an underage girl. Members of the press described the 2015 arrests as part of a “long-term [anti-prostitution] investigation,” suggesting that the sting had remained ongoing from November 2013 to November 2015.  When asked about the operation, a CPD representative expressed law enforcement’s concern that prostitution in the city may be linked to other crimes, stating:

“While some people believe prostitution is a ‘victimless’ crime, that’s just not true. In reality, prostitution is often connected with drug crimes and other violent crimes. In fact, just recently in Cookeville, a young man interacted with a prostitute and was subsequently robbed at gunpoint and had his vehicle stolen… Human trafficking is a rapidly growing crime. While a prostitute may be in his or her 20s, it is still quite possible that person is being tightly controlled and being forced into servitude by either a single person or organized group of persons for the purpose of using that person for making money.”

In February 2017, an undercover human trafficking operation conducted by Special Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Office of the 13th District Attorney General, Cookeville Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations resulted in the arrest of ten men facing felony charges in a targeted effort to identify individuals attempting to purchase illicit sex from minors.

“With each similar operation we conduct, we want to send the same message; that we will not tolerate the sexual exploitation of any person in our community. This is a demand-driven crime, involving men from all kinds of backgrounds. As a state, Tennessee has led the fight to see to it that no child or adult falls victim to these sexual predators.” [TBI Acting Director]

The operation occurred February 15th to February 17th, 2017, and focused on individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with females under the age of 18, and those engaged in trafficking others for commercial sex acts. For all three days, advertisements were placed on backpage.com, and two female TBI Agents posted as individuals offering sex on that site. In the course of the three-day operation, men using 697 unique phone numbers responded to the ads that were posted online, seeking to purchase illicit sex.  The total number of contacts, such as text messages and calls, was 5,211. During the course of the resulting text or phone conversations, the Agents identified themselves as being 14 to 17 years old.  Some of the conversations between the men and undercover agents continued after they learned they were chatting with someone asserting they were under-aged.  A total of ten men traveled to the location to meet for the purpose of paid sexual abuse of a female they believed to be a minor. On May 8th, 2018, the Putnam County Grand Jury returned indictments, charging ten individuals in connection with this operation.

In January, 2021, seven men were arrested during an undercover human trafficking operation in Cookeville. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation placed fake advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex acts. The identities of the men were reported in news outlets, and each was charged with “patronizing prostitution of a minor,” trafficking for a commercial sex act, or soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor. Collaborating with the TBI on the operation were the Cookeville Police Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the office of Attorney General.