Myrtle Beach, SC
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
---|---|
Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city of approximately 30,000 residents, located near Conway in Horry County, South Carolina. It is a major tourist area in the southeast, attracting an estimated 14 million visitors each summer. Prostitution has been identified as a substantial problem in the area, and residents have complained about chronic street prostitution in some city neighborhoods, and in area hotels and motels.
To address consumer-level demand, the Myrtle Beach Police Department has conducted reverse stings since at least 1997. For example, in 2011, the MBPD made 70 prostitution-related arrests, including many men attempting to buy sex, and reported that “prostitution is a growing problem in the city.”
August 2020 saw the arrest of 11 individuals on prostitution related charges in the area. According to law enforcement, the indictments were officially for soliciting or loitering for prostitution. Drug arrests were also made in connection to the operation. As in previous cases, the names and ages of those arrested were released to the public. Furthermore, the areas targeted in the sting were both oceanfront locations known for their prevalence of prostitution.
Key Partners
- Myrtle Beach Police Department
Key Sources
- Reverse Stings:
- “MB Police Arrest 5 in Prostitution Sting”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, March 22 1997.
- “Stings Keep Tabs on Prostitution, Drug Addiction Fueling Activity”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, November 23 1997.
- “16 Arrested in Myrtle Beach Prostitution Sweep”, CBS/WBTV-TV 3, December 14 2011.
- https://www.wyff4.com/article/11-charged-in-myrtle-beach-undercover-prostitution-sting (2016)
- https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/crime/article (2019)
- https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/crime/article245029185.html (2020)
- Documented Violence against Individuals Engaged in Prostitution in the Area:
- “Undercover Officer Injured in Sting”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 11 2003.
- “Man Charged with Running over Officer in Prostitution Sting”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 12 2003.
- “Injured Officer Soon in Rehab”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, August 11 2003.
- “Myrtle Beach Man Charged with Assault after He Caught His Wife ‘Entertaining’ Another Man”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 12 2013.
- “Georgetown Man Charged in Myrtle Beach Police Chase”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, August 1 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Police Charge N.C. Man with Prostitution after He Reports Robbery”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, September 23 2013.
- Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Grand Strand Vice; Beach Authorities Find Escort Services Elusive”, Sumter Item, June 2 1997.
- “Myrtle Beach Wants Stricter Massage Parlor Rules after Allegations of Prostitution”, Sumter Item, August 15 2001.
- “MB Massage Parlor Included in Prostitution Inquiry”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 25 2002.
- “Neighbors Battling Prostitution”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, September 12 2002.
- “MB Looks to Take Away Spas’ Licenses”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, January 23 2003.
- “Myrtle Beach Loitering Ordinance Advances”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 14 2004.
- “Council Approves Laws on Loitering”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 23 2004.
- “New Tools for MB Residents”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 26 2004.
- “Police Crack Down on Loitering, Prostitution”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, February 17 2005.
- “Town Leader Pleads Guilty, Resigns Post”, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, October 12 2006.
- “Prostitution Rife in City, Police Say”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, October 21 2007.
- “Foxworth Faces Sex Charge; Councilman Arrested in MB Prostitution Bust”, Loris Scene, October 24 2007.
- “SC Man Offered Sex with His Wife in Exchange for Pills, Police Say”, CBS/WBTV-TV 3, January 26 2011.
- “Prostitution Charges for Pair Who Had Sex for a Cigarette, Police Say”, CBS/WBTV-TV 3, July 28 2011.
- “Prostitution a Growing Problem in Myrtle Beach, Police Say”, CBS/WBTV-TV 3, January 25 2012.
- “Four People Charged with Prostitution in the Myrtle Beach Area”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, September 14 2012.
- “Pair Charged with Prostitution at Myrtle Beach Walmart”, CBS/WBTW-TV 13, February 7 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Man Charged with Prostitution”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, April 11 2013.
- “Police Arrest Galivants Ferry Man in Connection with Solicitation of a Prostitute”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, May 19 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Police Arrest Man, Woman on Prostitution Charges”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, May 28 2013.
- “Surfside Beach Man, Myrtle Beach Woman Charged with Prostitution”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, August 22 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Police Arrest 82-Year-Old Man, 29-Year-Old Woman on Prostitution Charges”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, September 6 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Charge Man, Woman with Prostitution”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, December 6 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Police Arrest Man, Woman on Prostitution Charges”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, December 18 2013.
- “Myrtle Beach Police Arrest Two Women, Man on Prostitution Charges”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, January 10 2014.
- “Four Women, One Man Charged with Prostitution in Myrtle Beach”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, May 16 2014.
- “Myrtle Beach Couple Charged with Prostitution after Officer Saw Them in the Woods”, Myrtle Beach Sun News, May 22 2014.
- https://www.wnct.com/news/national/more-than-15-arrested-in-myrtle-beach-prostitution-bust/ (2018)
- https://www.wspa.com/news/17-arrested-in-myrtle-beach-prostitution-bust/1420640234 (2019)
- https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/crime/article217841980.html (2018)
- https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/Myrtle Beach Takes Aim At Chronic Problem Hotels (2018)
- https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/20-people-arrested-in-two-undercover-prostitution-stings (2019)
- https://www.cbs17.com/myrtle-beach-police-arrest-8-in-undercover-prostitution-sting-via-internet-service/ (2020)
- https://www.wbtv.com/2020/02/21/search-warrant-served-myrtle-beach-gentlemans-club-business-operated-brothel-police-say/ (2020)
State | South Carolina |
Type | City |
Population | 29971 |
Location |
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