Greer is a city of 26,000 in northwestern South Carolina, in Greenville County. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been reported locally; in 2012, a Greer resident was arrested and charged with “pimping” two underage girls (ages 13 and 16) in nearby in Greenville.

To reduce commercial sex activity in the community, the Greer Police Department conducts periodic street-level reverse stings targeting johns in areas known for prostitution. These operations are occasionally large in scale, at times netting over 25 johns in a single evening. Arrested johns 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.”