Pocatello is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a population of approximately 57,000 residents. A small portion of the southeastern Idaho city is on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented in the city and greater county area. For example, the city’s history with prostitution dates back to the late 1800s and early 1900s when brothels were legally operating within city limits. A police department was reportedly built on the city’s East side in 1902-1907 in effort to combat the increasing prostitution and drug activity that was occurring in that area of the city. More recently, the city has reported having significant issues relating to the sex trafficking of adults and minors. In January 2017, two people were arraigned on charges connected to a prostitution ring including counts of felony procurement of prostitution, principal to procurement of prostitution, and accepting payment for prostitution. In an effort to prevent issues like human trafficking, drugs, and violent offenders, the Pocatello Police Department started a Street Crimes Unit in 2021 that focuses on combatting criminal activity through investigations and community education, prevention, and disruption.

Sex buyers have been apprehended by police as a result of residential reports to local law enforcement officers and subsequent investigations. In June 2022, a 35-year-old man was arrested after police say he sexually abused an underage girl and paid her in money and alcohol. The investigation began when police received a report of a suspicious circumstance unfolding at a hotel on Bench Road in Pocatello, according to the Idaho State Journal. Upon arrival, police met with a man who said he received a Snapchat message from a girl; officers were able to locate two underage girls who appeared to be heavily intoxicated. One of underage girls told police that the man had raped her at the hotel, and that she had been communicating on Snapchat for the prior four weeks with him. Her Snapchat conversation contained numerous messages with references to sex, and the man offering the girl money and alcohol to perform sexual acts. The man was charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor, one count of enticing a child over the internet, and one count of procurement for prostitution—all felonies—for engaging in sexual abuse acts with a 14-year-old girl. If convicted of all four charges, the man would face no less than two years and up to life in prison as well as a fines of up to $200,000. The offender’s identity and image were released by the Pocatello Police Department.