Parkland is a census-designated place in Washington state of approximately 38,000 residents, located just south of Tacoma in Pierce County, WA. Prostitution is a longstanding problem for the city and surrounding areas, with known cases of serial killers and serial rapists targeting prostituted women. Additionally, more common contributions to issues surrounding the area’s commercial sex market have been assaults, rapes, drug trafficking, and other forms of crime and community degradation.

In effort to reduce demand for commercial sex in the city and surrounding areas, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office periodically conducts street-level reverse stings in Parkland, often in partnership with the Tacoma Police Department. During these operations, undercover female officers and sheriff’s deputies will pose as prostituted women along Parkland’s major roads and thoroughfares. As men approach and attempt to solicit the undercover female officers, they are arrested by a backup team. The names and identities of those arrested are not typically released by local law enforcement. Male sex buyers who are arrested in Parkland have occasionally been requested to attend the Tacoma/Pierce County/Lakewood john school. In addition, after one reverse sting, police sent “Dear John” letters to the homes of men who had attempted to solicit sex from undercover female officers, but did offer money and as a result, were not arrested.