Glen Burnie is a town of about 70,000 residents in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Baltimore. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in other areas of the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. For example, in September 2015, Anne Arundel County Police arrested two people in connection to an alleged prostitution operation at a Glen Burnie spa. Members of the department’s Vice unit initiated the investigation into the spa after receiving complaints about possible prostitution activity. The spa was located across the street from Holy Trinity Catholic Church. An undercover detective entered the spa, paid for a massage, then gave the masseuse an extra $100, police said in charging documents. Detectives knew that the extra money alerted the employee that the client was looking to pay for sexual activity. After the woman completed the massage and counted the extra money, she took off her clothes and displayed herself to the detective, acknowledging her acceptance of the extra money for sexual activity. The detective gave a predetermined signal and assisting detectives entered the business. The woman was charged with prostitution and assignation. In January 2018, two women were arrested for prostitution and doing massage therapy without a license after Anne Arundel County Police investigated another massage parlor in Glen Burnie.

A wide range of additional crimes associated with the local sex trade have also been documented, including child sex trafficking and prostitution-related homicide. Serial killers who specifically target prostituted women have operated in the Glen Burnie area as well. For example, in April 2017, Anne Arundel County police arrested a D.C. police officer on a slew of charges including assault, prostitution, and armed robbery. The case illustrated both the presence of sex trafficking and related crimes, as well as the use of demand reduction tactics such as sex buyer arrests and identity disclosure. The Department of Homeland Security had been alerted of a possible human trafficking case involving a 15-year-old female who had been receiving services from the Department of Social Services. She told officials that she met a suspect via a social media app called “Tagged” and agreed to meet with him to engage in sexual activity in exchange for money in the Glen Burnie area. The sexual abuse occurred inside the man’s vehicle, and once it was completed, the man produced a handgun and demanded his money back. The girl gave him his money back and exited his vehicle. Anne Arundel Police investigating the case obtained an arrest warrant for the man and charged him with: armed robbery, robbery, firearm use in a felony crime of violence, first degree assault, second degree assault, two counts of third degree sex offenses, reckless endangerment, handgun in a vehicle, handgun on a person, and prostitution. The arrested sex buyer had been with the Metropolitan Police Department for 14 months. The Metropolitan Police Department revoked the man’s police powers and placed him on a “non-contact status,” the department said. The 15-year-old victim received support services.