McCracken County is located in the far western portion of Kentucky, with a population of approximately 68,000. The county seat is Paducah. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity has been well-documented in McCracken County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates produce complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents within the county. For example, in March 2019, the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department initiated an investigation into local prostitution complaints about online ads. Undercover detectives made agreements with two people believed to be prostitutes placing ads online. Detectives made contact with one suspect from Paducah at a local motel, who was found in possession of crack cocaine and a smoking pipe and was subsequently arrested. The second suspect was staying at the same motel and was found in possession of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and items of drug paraphernalia. The woman was on felony probation at the time of her arrest.

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. In September 2014, the sheriff’s offices of McCracken and Marshall Counties conducted a two-day operation focused on both buyers and sellers in prostitution. The sheriff’s office posted an ad for commercial sex services on a common website. Within thirty minutes of the ad being posted, a detective acting in an undercover capacity began receiving phone calls and texts from individuals wishing to pay for sex. Around four hours later, nine men were arrested for soliciting prostitution and other offenses. Several men arrived at the location with weapons, one with a loaded firearm in his pocket. Detectives arrested four more men who arranged to pay an undercover detective for sex acts. Detectives also seized cash intended for use to pay for sex and or proceeds of sex acts, marijuana, condoms, sex toys, and cell phones. The identities of the 13 arrested sex buyers were publicly released.

In January 2019, seventeen people were arrested in a prostitution bust conducted in the Paducah area. This sting drew sex buyers from a much wider area, including other states. McCracken County investigators had received complaints about local online ads for prostitution on adult websites. Undercover detectives placed ads and responded to ads from January 14 through 17. They also made agreements with persons believed to be prostitutes placing the ads, as well as those that responded to ads placed by detectives during the investigation.