Franklin is a city of approximately 85,000 residents, located along Route 65 in the southern suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. It serves as the county seat of Williamson County. In an effort to reduce prostitution activity in the city, the Franklin Police Department has conducted at least four reverse stings. In September 2012, for example, FPD officers posted a decoy advertisement on Backpage.com. They then arrested eight male sex buyers who arranged to meet at a local hotel and offered money for sex to a “confidential informant” working with police. All of the offenders’ names were released to the local media. The men were cited and ordered to appear in municipal court the following week.

In December 2016, Franklin Police arrested two prostituted women from California and one male sex buyer at a hotel in Franklin. FPD Narcotics and Vice Detectives obtained search warrants for two rooms at a local hotel on South Springs Drive, and during the investigation, determined that a stolen credit card had been used to rent the rooms being used for prostitution. Several cell phones, gift cards, and more than $1,000 cash, along with other evidence of prostitution, were seized. The two women were charged with prostitution, identity theft, and fraudulent use of a credit card. Detectives also issued a misdemeanor citation to a man for patronizing prostitution, after he was found with one of the women during the execution of the search warrants. All of the arrestees’ photos and identifying information were released to the press.

In March 2017, a 28-year-old Fairview man was arrested after police said he went to a hotel in Franklin to meet someone he thought was a minor. He contacted undercover officers through social media and arranged the meeting to pay to sexually abuse what he thought was a 16-year-old girl, but he was instead met by officers and taken into custody. The man was charged with a class-B felony of patronizing prostitution with a minor and a class-E felony of solicitation of a minor. He was held in the Williamson County Jail on a $225,000 bond and his identity was released to the press. The Franklin Police Chief said of the incident:

“Criminals who prey or attempt to prey on our community’s children will be aggressively pursued, arrested, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These crimes are unconscionable and will not be tolerated in Franklin.”

In June 2017, three men were arrested during another reverse sting at a Franklin hotel. Undercover officers used an online site frequently used for prostitution and arranged to meet the suspects, who were seeking “sex for hire.” Each was arrested after arriving at the hotel and offering a police informant cash for sex, and each was charged with patronizing prostitution. One man was also charged with physically assaulting the police informant. The men’s names, ages, and hometowns were released to the press.