Greer is a city of about 39,000 residents in northwestern South Carolina, in Greenville County. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been reported locally. For example, in 2012, a Greer resident was arrested and charged with “pimping” (i.e., sex trafficking) two underage girls (ages 13 and 16) in nearby in Greenville.

To reduce prostitution activity in the community, the Greer Police Department has conducted periodic street-level reverse stings targeting sex buyers in areas known for prostitution. These operations are occasionally large in scale, at times resulting in the arrest of over 25 sex buyers in a single evening. Arrested sex buyers have their names, charges, and other information released to the public.

Following one such sting in September 2014, members of the local media reported that the female undercover officer working the detail had “worn a hidden camera and a microphone [during the operation] so police nearby knew when to move in.” When asked for comment about the operation, a GPD representative stated that the department often “conducts stings to respond to complaints from neighbors and business owners.”