Norton is a city of approximately 20,000 residents in southern Massachusetts, near the cities of Taunton and Attleboro. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity have been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of the county. Consumer-level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies in their attempts to prevent and respond to these crimes. To identify and apprehend local sex buyers driving the prostitution and sex trafficking markets, police have conducted web-based reverse stings.

In January 2019, three men were arrested in a web-based prostitution sting, with the arrests occurring at a local hotel. The men faced charges of soliciting for sex after responding to an online escort advertisement and traveling to a hotel in Norton near Route 495, close to the Norton/Taunton border. Detectives placed advertisements on websites offering escort services and individuals seeking sex. An undercover police officer then responded to texts sent by the men who inquired about the ad, and arranged meetings at the hotel to exchange money for sex. The reverse sting was done with the cooperation of hotel management. The three sex buyers were scheduled to be arraigned in Attleboro District Court on charges of sexual conduct for a fee, solicitation for a prostitute, and attempt to commit a crime. Norton police were assisted by members of the Northern Bristol County Drug Task Force (which includes detectives from Norton, Attleboro, Easton, Mansfield, Raynham, and Taunton).