East Cleveland is a city of approximately 14,000 residents, located in the Cleveland suburbs in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Prostitution, as well as prostitution-related violence, have been reported in the area for decades. For example, in 2014, law enforcement reported they received “approximately five to six calls per day” from residents about street prostitution occurring in the area. There have also been murders of prostituted women in East Cleveland.

In an effort to address the issue, the East Cleveland Police Department has conducted at least one reverse sting. In August 2014, the ECPD sent three female officers undercover as decoy prostituted women. The officers then “strolled” along city streets known for prostitution. Over the span of three hours, three sex buyers were arrested after they solicited the decoys. The arrestees’ names were not released to the public. The operation was conducted in parallel with a sting targeting prostituted women.