Elmhurst is a Cook County suburb of Chicago, with a population of around 47,000. In Elmhurst, prostitution is believed to occur more often indoors than on the streets, and the majority of the prostitution and sex trafficking solicitations have been made over the internet. In response, local officials have included demand-reduction tactics in their efforts to address these crimes. Most of the reverse stings conducted by the Elmhurst Police have been web-based operations. The Elmhurst police have worked closely with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, which is very active in public education programs, victim advocacy, and collaboration on reverse stings.

At least one sex buyer arrest has occurred through an alternative investigation instead of a proactive sting targeting sex buyers. In June 2018, a man and a woman were arrested on prostitution charges after being pulled over by Elmhurst police for a roadside impaired driver’s check. The Elmhurst Deputy Police Chief explained the incident was a “unique set of circumstances” and that the solicitation was discovered during the course of the investigation. The alleged solicitation occurred in Franklin Park, where the man picked up the woman, and they were pulled over as they drove to Elmhurst for cigarettes. The woman was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and prostitution and the man, who was driving the vehicle, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and solicitation of a sex act. His identity was released to the press.