Lubbock County is located between Amarillo and Midland in northwest Texas., and has a population of about 314,000 – most of whom live in the city of Lubbock (pop. 250,000+). Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well documented for decades in the city of Lubbock and in other areas of Lubbock County. For example, in August 2013 five people were arrested for compelling prostitution and human trafficking. Lubbock Police conducted an online prostitution sting at a local hotel, and during the arrest officers discovered a juvenile female who was being prostituted. Another sting was conducted and more arrests were made, and another juvenile female was recovered. The five arrested all face charges of compelling prostitution, human trafficking, and aggravated promotion of prostitution. Other cases of sex trafficking have also been reported in Lubbock between 2007 and 2012. A serial killer of prostituted women was also active in the city in the mid-2000s.

To combat consumer demand for commercial sex, the Lubbock Police Department conducts both street-level and web-based reverse stings. Officers also routinely publicize the names and identities of arrested sex buyers. In 2012, the Lubbock Police Department launched a concerted “shaming” effort by posting the names and photos of arrested johns on the LPD’s official website. LPD officers also posted a group photo of the eight johns arrested to the LPD’s Facebook page. As prostitution is a Class B Misdemeanor in Texas, arrestees in Lubbock face up to a 180-day jail sentence, and fines up to $2,000.