Key West, FL
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
|---|---|
| Auto Seizure | ✓ |
| Buyer Arrests | ✓ |
| Cameras | ✓ |
| Community Service | ✓ |
| Employment Loss | ✓ |
| Identity Disclosure | ✓ |
| IT Based Tactics | ✓ |
| John School | ✓ |
| Letters | ✓ |
| License Suspension | ✓ |
| Neighborhood Action | ✓ |
| Public Education | ✓ |
| Reverse Stings | ✓ |
| SOAP Orders | ✓ |
| Web Stings | ✓ |
Key West is an island city of approximately 27,000 residents, located at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys, in Monroe County. Prostitution and sex trafficking, including child sex trafficking, have been reported in the community for several decades. There have been cases of drugs, extortion, theft, and violence associated with the local commercial sex market.
Driven by community complaints, the Key West Police Department conducted a street-level reverse sting in 1993. It resulted in the arrest of five sex buyers; only one of the men’s identities was disclosed to the public. It is unclear if KWPD officers have used demand-reduction tactics in the years since; if such operations are still conducted, they are not routinely publicized.
Key Partners
- Key West Police Department
- Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Key Sources
Reverse Sting:
Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “KWPD: Pimp Beats 15-Year-Old Hooker; Key West,” Key West Citizen, August 14 2009.
- https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/first-sex-trafficking-arrest-made-in-monroe-county-sheriffs-office (2012)
- “Man Indicted in Child Sex Trafficking Case,” Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, July 10 2012.
- “FBI: Man Lures Girls into Sex Trade,” Key West Citizen, July 13 2012.
- https://www.mcall.com/mc-pol-monroe-county-prostitution-extortion-fugitive-arrested-story (2018)
- https://cseinstitute.org/florida-man-arrested-alleged-human-trafficking-monroe-county (2018)
- https://www.mcall.com/mc-pol-monroe-county-prostitution-extortion-couple-story (2018)
Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Key West Gets Navy Warning,” Sarasota Herald-Tribune, January 12 1955.
- “Navy Hears Denial of Key West Vice,” Miami News, January 31 1955.
- “Two Women Arrested in Prostitution Sting,” Miami Herald, October 20 2000.
- “Weekend Prostitution, Drug Crackdown Nets 14 Arrests,” Miami Herald, March 7 2001.
- “Key West Tide Turns from the Racy,” USA Today, August 25 2004.
- “Undercover Johns Net 2 Prostitution Suspects,” Key West Citizen, December 7 2006.
- “Sting Operation Nets 3 Prostitution Arrests; Key West,” Key West Citizen, August 28 2009.
- “Prostitute at Center of Duck Avenue Incident; Key West,” Key West Citizen, October 24 2009.
- “Prostitute Steals $300 Cash from Texas Man; Crime Report,” Key West Citizen, August 23 2013.
- “Pair Found under Key West Stairwell Charged with Prostitution,” Florida Keys Keynoter, December 3 2014.
- https://www.nbcmiami.com/1-arrested-1-at-large-massage-parlor-prostitution-case-monroe-county-sheriff (2015)
Documented Violence Against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
| State | Florida |
| Type | City |
| Population | 26527 |
| Location |
Comments are closed.