Lexington, KY
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 | ✓ |
Lexington is a city of approximately 322,000 residents, located in Fayette County in northeast Kentucky. It is the state’s second-largest city. Street prostitution and indoor prostitution rings (including multi-state sex trafficking rings) have presented persistent and severe problems in the area for decades. 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. To address these issues, the Lexington Police Department (LPD) has incorporated the use of tactics designed to identify, apprehend, and deter sex buyers. Its department was among the pioneers of the use of street-level reverse stings, beginning in 1977. In 2010, LPD representatives said they conducted an estimated eight to 12 reverse per year, at times netting upwards of 100 men in a single operation. Since 1999, Lexington police have also conducted web-based reverse stings designed to intercept men attempting to solicit paid sex online. At times, the LPD has averaged one to two web operations per year. The LPD also collaborates with the community, participating in the city’s neighborhood watch program, and provides means for residents and businesses to report any suspected prostitution activity to local law enforcement.
Key Partners
- Lexington Police Department
- Fayette County Sheriff’s Department
Key Sources
National Assessment Survey (2012)
Reverse Stings:
- “34 Men Charged with Soliciting Policewoman,” Williamson Daily News, August 5 1977.
- “160 Arrested in Prostitution Crackdown,” Lexington Herald-Leader, July 12 1984.
- “Police Hope Arrests Will Deter Prostitution,” Lexington Herald-Leader, July 13 1984.
- “Teens under Cover in Prostitution Probe,” Bowling Green Daily News, August 29 1984.
- “Lawyer Is Given 5 Years’ Probation,” Kentucky New Era, October 9 1984.
- “Police Who Used Juveniles Cleared of Legal Violations,” Lexington Herald-Leader, February 20 1985.
- “Police Begin Serving Citations to 29 after Male Prostitution Investigation,” Lexington Herald-Leader, January 28 1986.
- “Prostitution Crackdown Citations Are Issued,” Lexington Herald-Leader, July 8 1986.
- “‘John Sting’ in Lexington Has Brought 65 Arrests,” Lexington Herald-Leader, October 10 1987.
- “Police Arrest 39 in North Lexington Prostitution Sweep,” Lexington Herald-Leader, November 13 1989.
- “42 Men Charged with Soliciting Sex from Undercover Officers,” Lexington Herald-Leader, September 24 1992.
- “Prostitutes’ Clients Are Sting Target; Operation Follows Slayings of 3 Women in Last 10 Months,” Lexington Herald-Leader, August 30 2002.
- “Police Sting Prostitutes, Clients; Recent Deaths Spur Increased Arrests,” Lexington Herald-Leader, September 29 2002.
Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “Teens under Cover in Prostitution Probe,” Bowling Green Daily News, August 29 1984.
- “Lawyer Is Given 5 Years’ Probation,” Kentucky New Era, October 9 1984.
- “Police Who Used Juveniles Cleared of Legal Violations,” Lexington Herald-Leader, February 20 1985.
- “3 Arrested for Allegedly Involving a 16-Year-Old Runaway in Prostitution,” Lexington Herald-Leader, January 11 1986.
- “Police Begin Serving Citations to 29 after Male Prostitution Investigation,” Lexington Herald-Leader, January 28 1986.
- “Hispanic Prostitution Rings Broken Up; Action Revealed at Meeting Focusing on Migrants,” Lexington Herald-Leader, April 26 2000.
- “Leader of Sex Trafficking Conspiracy Pleads Guilty,” Press Release, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, May 25 2012.
- “Lexington Man Arrested on Human Trafficking Charges,” ABC/WTVQ-TV 36, July 21 2015.
- https://www.kentuckytoday.com/news/lexington-man-sentenced-fined-10k-for-sex-trafficking (2022)
- https://www.wvlt.tv/local-nonprofit-restaurant-raise-awareness-during-human-trafficking-prevention-month/ (2023)
- https://www.wtvq.com/natalies-sisters-talks-helping-victims-of-sex-trafficking-and-sexual-exploitation/ (2023)
Documented Violence Against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “Prostitutes’ Clients Are Sting Target; Operation Follows Slayings of 3 Women in Last 10 Months,” Lexington Herald-Leader, August 30 2002.
- “Police Sting Prostitutes, Clients; Recent Deaths Spur Increased Arrests,” Lexington Herald-Leader, September 29 2002.
Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Police Seek Remedy to Close Massage Parlors; Six Face Prostitution Charges after Raids on Three Health Spas,” Lexington Herald-Leader, March 16 1985.
- “Health Spa Operated Is Charged with Felony,” Lexington Herald-Leader, November 19
- “Four Arrested at Parlors, Charged with Prostitution,” Lexington Herald-Leader, November 4 1993.
- “2 Massage Parlors’ Ties Are under Investigation; Lexington Police Scrutinizing Ownership after Raids Lead to Prostitution Charges,” Lexington Herald-Leader, April 26 1995.
- “Prostitution Complaints Increase against Lexington Escort Services,” Lexington Herald-Leader, May 6 1995.
- “More Escort Service Arrests Are Likely; Police Say They Suspect 14 Services to Be Prostitution Fronts,” Lexington Herald-Leader, September 13 1995.
- “3 Bookstores Face Charges of Prostitution; Raid by Police Is Part of Program to Curb Lexington Illegal Sex Market,” Lexington Herald-Leader, October 14 1995.
- “2 Facing Prostitution Charges in Parlor Raids,” Lexington Herald-Leader, March 29 1996.
- “Escort Services Thriving — in Lexington, Too; Internet Makes Them Easier to Advertise, Tougher to Track,” Lexington Herald-Leader, March 20 2008.
- https://www.kentucky.com/fayette-county/interstate prostitution ring (2022)
| State | Kentucky |
| Type | City |
| Population | 322200 |
| Location |
Comments are closed.