Etowah County, AL
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
---|---|
Auto Seizure | ✓ |
Buyer Arrests | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Community Service | ✓ |
Employment Loss | ✓ |
Identity Disclosure | ✓ |
IT Based Tactics | ✓ |
John School | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
License Suspension | ✓ |
Neighborhood Action | ✓ |
Public Education | ✓ |
Reverse Stings | ✓ |
SOAP Orders | ✓ |
Web Stings | ✓ |
To combat consumer-level demand for commercial sex that drives all prostitution and sex trafficking, the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, often collaborating with the Gadsden Police Department, has conducted street-level reverse stings since at least 2010. In one such operation 11 male sex buyers were arrested. The sting, dubbed “Operation Stroll,” was conducted “to combat a widespread prostitution problem in Gadsden.” During the reverse sting, undercover female officers stood at locations known for prostitution and waited for men to approach them. The male sex buyers offered female officers between $1 and $20, averaging about $5 per solicitation. Some of the men offered illegal drugs in exchange for sex, and one man offered a bologna sandwich as barter. In August 2014, another reverse sting was conducted following complaints from local residents that “people walking to work in the area had been accosted by people asking for sex.” The operation, which employed undercover female officers as decoys, was conducted over a two-day period and resulted in the arrest of 10 male sex buyers. The men’s names were not released to the public. Police also attempted to be proactive by warning the community about the dangers of prostitution and asked citizens to contact the Special Projects team with information or questions.
In November 2014, the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Gadsden Police Department to conduct a web-based reverse sting. The team spent about eight hours at a Gadsden hotel during the sting, and sex sex buyers were arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor. It was one of a series of operations undertaken within the county that year against prostitution, using online and undercover operations. In September 2014, Oxford police conducted a similar investigation, resulting in 14 arrests, and Gadsden police provided assistance. In August 2015, Gadsden police arrested at least 10 men, all of whom were booked into the Etowah County Detention Center on charges of soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor, on $1,000 bond.
Key Partners
- Etowah County Sheriff’s Office
- Etowah County District Attorney’s Office
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Gadsden Police Department
- Rainbow City Police Department
- Southside Police Department
Key Sources
Street-Level Reverse Stings:
- “Prostitution Sting Nets 13 Arrests in Gadsden”, Gadsden Times, December 3 2010.
- “11 Charged with Soliciting Prostitutes”, Gadsden Times, May 7 2013.
- “Gadsden Police Arrest 13 in ‘Operation Stroll’ Prostitution Sting”, Birmingham News, May 7 2013.
- “10 Arrested for Soliciting Prostitution”, Gadsden Times, August 18 2014.
- “10 Arrested in Gadsden during Weekend Prostitution Sting”, Birmingham News, August 19 2014.
Web-Based Reverse Stings:
- “7 Men Arrested in Gadsden Online Prostitution Sting,” Birmingham News, November 7 2014.
- “Seven Nabbed in Online Prostitution Sting”, Gadsden Times, November 7 2014.
- https://www.al.com/news/anniston-gadsden/index.ssf/at_least_10_men_arrested_in_ga (2015)
Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Gadsden Police Chief Demands to Be Heard”, Gadsden Times Daily, April 5 1957.
- “Deputies Raid Alleged House of Prostitution”, Gadsden Times, January 19 1964.
- “Prostitution Charge Filed against Man”, Gadsden Times, July 28 1990.
- “Undercover Operation Results in Three Arrests on Prostitution Charge”, Gadsden Times, October 14 2000.
- “Cracking Down on Prostitution”, Gadsden Times, March 6 2004.
- “Gadsden Police Break up Internet Prostitution Ring”, Gadsden Times, July 2 2013.
- “Man Reports Theft by Prostitute”, Gadsden Times, August 4 2014.
- https://www.gadsdentimes.com/southside-man-charged-105-counts-promoting-prostitution (2021)
Documented Violence Against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
State | Alabama |
Type | County |
Population | 103162 |
Location |
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