Havre de Grace, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay.  Its population is roughly 14,000. Prostitution and sex trafficking are well-documented problems within the county.  Among the more serious crimes associated to the county’s commercial sex market include child sex trafficking. In Havre de Grace, prostitution activity has been reported for at least 100 years when prostitution, bootleggers and underground casinos flourished during the Prohibition years and the town earned a reputation as a “Little Chicago”.

Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response.  A law enforcement respondent to the 2021 National Assessment Survey reported that since 2005, public education has been conducted in Havre de Grace, specifically focused on the demand side of prostitution and sex trafficking (i.e., sex buyers).