Lewis County in Southwestern Washington of approximately 84,000 residents. Prostitution and sex trafficking are thoroughly documented problems within the county. This activity and its ancillary crimes have generated complaints to local law enforcement from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the county’s commercial sex market are child sex trafficking and the […]
Leominster is a city of approximately 42,000 residents, located 20 miles north of Worcester in central Massachusetts. Cases of prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented in the city, along with violence occurring within the sex trade. For example, in 2013 a man faced several charges for allegedly holding his girlfriend captive in a motel […]
Lenexa is a city of approximately 59,000 residents, located in northeast Kansas. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of Johnson County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes […]
Leesburg is a city of approximately 23,000 residents, located in central Florida’s Lake County, roughly equidistant between Ocala and Orlando. Prostitution activity, occurring both at street level and within adult-oriented businesses, has been documented in the community for several years. Cases of forced prostitution – or sex trafficking – have also been reported. In October […]
Lealman is a census-designated place of approximately 22,000 residents, located in the suburbs of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of Pinellas County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates (such as drug offenses) results in complaints […]
Lawrence is a city of approximately 80,000 residents, located in Essex County, in Northeastern Massachusetts. In recent decades it has had among lowest median household income in the state. Prostitution has presented persistent and serious problems in the city for decades, including documented cases of sex trafficking, child endangerment, and the rape and homicide of […]
Laurel is a city of approximately 26,000 residents, located in northern Prince George’s County in Maryland. Like their neighbors in North Laurel, the Laurel Police Department has been faced with the challenge of a growing commercial sex market in recent years, including sex trafficking and the assault of prostituted women. For example, in 2010 arrests […]
Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada, with approximately 647,000 residents, and is located in Clark County. Dubbed “the Entertainment Capital of the World,” Las Vegas has also been identified by federal and local law enforcement as one of the nation’s largest hubs of prostitution and sex trafficking. Prostitution in the state of Nevada […]
Largo is a city of approximately 82,000 residents, located near Tampa, Florida. Like other cities in Pinellas County, Largo has struggled with the problems associated with commercial sex for decades, and the city has had documented cases of sex trafficking. Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has […]
Laredo is a city of approximately 256,000 residents, located in Webb County, Texas along the Mexican border. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been persistent and visible problems in the city for decades. Among the serious related crimes have been the robbery of sex buyers and serial killers targeting persons exploited in prostitution. For example, in […]
Demand Forum is powered by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and directed by Dr. Michael Shively, NCOSE's Senior Advisor on Research and Data Analysis. It was originally developed by Dr. Shively and Abt Associates with grant support from the National Institute of Justice. In January 2020 the website transferred to NCOSE. In January 2021, work began on a new grant from NIJ (#2020-75-CX-0011) to update and expand the content presented on Demand Forum.
