East Ridge is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the city population was just over 22,000. East Ridge is bordered by Chattanooga to the west, north, and east, and the Georgia state line to the south. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the community, as well as throughout the county, for decades.  This activity and the ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses.

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. For example, twelve men were arrested for patronizing prostitution in East Ridge, Tennessee in June 2017. East Ridge police said undercover officers put an ad online, setting up a meeting with suspected “johns” at a local hotel for sexual acts in exchange for cash. The identities of the arrested sex buyers were publicly released, and included a local school teacher, emergency room doctor, certified nursing assistant, and a commercial truck driver.