Passaic is a city of approximately 70,000 residents, located 10 miles west of New York City near Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. Local residents and law enforcement officials have reported problems with prostitution in the city, both at street level and in and around adult-oriented businesses.

To address the issue, the Passaic Police Department has conducted periodic reverse stings since at least 1995; the PPD has also conducted long-term investigations of local massage parlors, bars, and other nightclubs suspected of prostitution and other illegal activities, at times “raiding” the businesses and arresting individuals involved in commercial sex sales. During raids conducted in the early 1990s, police arrested sex sellers and buyers indiscriminately, at times netting more johns than prostituted women and procurers combined. Formal reverse stings soon followed, with at least 10 street-level reversals conducted between 1995 and 2002.

In recent years, city law enforcement has continued to focus on business-based prostitution and, according to media reports, arrested dozens of prostituted women, pimps, and illegal business owners. It is unclear if johns are still targeted during these investigations or in other operations (and perhaps simply do not have their arrest information publicized); if so, Passaic Police have not disclosed information about the reversals.