Polk County, FL
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
---|---|
Reverse stings | ✓ |
Shaming | ✓ |
Auto seizure | ✓ |
Community service | ✓ |
Public education | ✓ |
Neighborhood action | ✓ |
SOAP orders | ✓ |
John school | ✓ |
Letters | ✓ |
Cameras | ✓ |
Web stings | ✓ |
License suspension | ✓ |
Polk County is a county of approximately 600,000 residents, located in central Florida. It contains the cities of Lakeland, Winter Haven, Inwood, Lake Wales and Davenport. To reduce prostitution activity in the area, deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office conduct frequent web-based reverse stings and release the names of all arrestees to the public. Johns’ photos are also posted on the PCSO’s official website and distributed to the media.
In December 1992, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced that it would begin utilizing an existing state law to revoke the licenses of johns’ convicted of solicitation from a vehicle. It remains unclear, however, whether or not the ordinance was consistently enforced in the years that followed.
Although PCSO deputies have conducted several “john” details at street level, the department is best known for its use of large-scale web stings. The stings, which post advertisements offering or requesting commercial sex to websites like Craigslist and Backpage.com, have netted upwards of 50 arrests in a single operation. One such sting, conducted in January 2013, resulted in 78 arrests, the majority of which were male johns. In May 2013, another web-based operation netted 92 arrests, including 12 pimps, 39 prostituted women, and 39 sex buyers.
In a December 2013 operation, conducted over four days at an undisclosed location within the county, PCSO deputies arrested 20 men for soliciting prostitution, 28 people on prostitution charges, 13 people on charges of aiding and abetting or deriving proceeds from prostitution, and nine people on various other charges. One of the arrestees was discovered to be a 16-year-old girl, which led police to investigate child sex trafficking charges.
Similarly, a May 2014 operation, also conducted over a four-day period, resulted in the arrest of 52 johns, and three potential victims of human trafficking, including a 15-year-old female.
A large-scale December 2015 web-based reversal, conducted by PCSO deputies in partnership with officers from the Lakeland Police Department, netted 33 johns. As with prior stings, the PCSO released a poster with the names and arrest photos of all of the individuals arrested, including alleged sex sellers. Media outlets reported that one individual arrested had brought her 2-year-old daughter to the sting. Law enforcement also indicated that those arrested ranged in age from “15 to 68,” suggesting that minors were also intercepted. PCSO deputies indicated that “at least three women [were identified] who they believe may have been forced into prostitution against their will.”
A much larger reverse sting was conducted in October 2017. Polk County deputies and officers from local police forces conducted a five-day reverse sting resulting in the arrest of more than 200 sex buyers . “Operation No Tricks, No Treats” began Oct. 10 and ran until Oct. 15, according to a press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. During the operation, undercover detectives and investigators from several law enforcement agencies posted false advertisements on websites, social media sites and phone apps posing as “prostitutes or to solicit sex workers.” Investigators reported 209 of those arrested were accused of soliciting undercover detectives. One of the men arrested was a sergeant at Polk County Sheriff’s Office who had been on the force for 17 years (he resigned after the sting). Among the other suspects arrested were a cancer surgeon, teacher, pediatrician, Air Force veteran, retired deputy sheriff, retired police officer, active colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, and several pharmacists. They ranged in age from 16 to 74 years old.
Another large-scale, web-based prostitution sting occurred in November, 2018 that produced over 100 arrests – 30 of which were for charges related to attempting to buy sex. In May 2019, a large-scale operation produced over 150 arrests for prostitution-related charges, 75 of which were males seeking to buy sex with police decoys. The identities of all arrestees were posted online by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Penalties associated with a prostitution arrest include the public shaming that comes form having the sheriff and news outlets putting names and photos on their websites. For “johns” there is a $5,000.00 “civil penalty” required by statute, and other penalties include forfeiting any property seized (including vehicles), community service hours, and paying the cost of the investigation.
Key Partners
- Polk County Sheriff’s Office
- Lakeland Police Department
- North Lake Wire Neighborhood Association
Key Sources
- Street-Level Reverse Stings and Shaming:
- “Winter Haven Prostitution Sting Nets Nine Arrests”, Lakeland Ledger, April 16 1992.
- “Detective an Actor While Undercover”, Lakeland Ledger, October 17 1994.
- “Prostitution Crackdown; Sheriff’s Detectives Run Stings Near Lakeland”, Lakeland Ledger, March 6 1995.
- “50 Arrested on Drug, Prostitution Charges”, Lakeland Ledger, October 7 1995.
- “Prostitution Sting Nets 16 Arrests in Polk”, Orlando Sentinel, August 5 2011.
- “Polk Deputies Arrest 10 Men in Undercover Prostitution Sting”, FOX/WTVT-TV 13, December 2 2012.
- “13 Arrested in Polk Prostitution Sting Including Man Wearing GPS”, CBS/WNCT-TV 9, October 3 2014.
- Web-Based Reverse Stings and Shaming:
- “Teacher Arrested in Undercover Prostitution Sting”, CBS/WTSP-TV 10, October 19 2008.
- “Craigslist and Polk Deputies Forge Uneasy Alliance in Sex Sting”, ABC/WFTS-TV 28, August 16 2010.
- “Polk Sheriff’s Prostitution Bust Nets 60”, CBS/WTSP-TV 10, April 19 2011.
- “19 People Are Arrested in Polk Sheriff’s Online Sex Ad Sting”, Lakeland Ledger, February 27 2012.
- “Polk County Principal Busted in Prostitution Sting”, ABC/WFTS-TV 28, August 31 2012.
- “78 Arrests in 4-Day Prostitution Sting by Polk County Sheriff’s Deputies in Florida”, Huffington Post, January 15 2013.
- “Florida’s Prostitution Buster”, Daily Beast, January 27 2013.
- “Polk Undercover Operation Leads to 92 Prostitution Arrests”, CBS/WTSP-TV 10, May 14 2013.
- “San Leandro Youth Minister Arrested in Florida Prostitution Bust”, NBC/KNTV-TV 11, May 16 2013.
- “70 Arrested in 4-Day Prostitution Sting”, Lakeland Ledger, December 16 2013.
- “80 Arrested in Polk Co. Online Prostitution Sting”, ABC/WFTV-TV 9, December 16 2013.
- “Deputies Arrest 80 Suspects in Prostitution Sting”, Lakeland Ledger, December 16 2013.
- “Polk Prostitution Sting Results in 80 Arrests”, NBC/WECT-TV 6, December 17 2013.
- “98 Arrested in Polk County Prostitution Operation”, ABC/WFTV-TV 9, May 27 2014.
- “Sex Arrests: Former Orlando Cop, 97 Others Charged; Undercover Prostitution, Sex-Slavery Probe”, Orlando Sentinel, May 27 2014.
- “Weekend Prostitution Sting Ends with Arrest of 98”, Lakeland Ledger, May 27 2014.
- “High School Teacher among 95 Arrested in Polk Prostitution Sting, Deputies Say,” Tampa Tribune, December 14 2015.
- “Operation Naughty Not Nice Nets 95 in Polk County,” CBS/WTSP-TV 10, December 14 2015.
- “Polk County Prostitution Bust Leads to 95 Arrests,” NBC/WFLA-TV 8, December 14 2015.
- “Undercover PCSO/LPD Human Trafficking Operation Results in 95 Arrests,” Lakeland Ledger, December 14 2015.
- http://www.foxnews.com/florida-police-arrest-277-including-cops-and-doctors-in-sex-sting.html (2017)
- https://www.newschief.com/more-than-100-arrested-in-polk-county-human-trafficking-investigation (2018)
- https://www.wptv.com/more-than-100-suspects-arrested-human-trafficking-investigation polk-county (2018)
- https://www.wtsp.com/article/more-than-150-arrested-in-child-porn-prostitution-sting-in-polk-county (2019)
- http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/polk-county-detectives-arrest-153-in-sex-related-charges (2019)
- https://www.tampabay.com/publicsafety/pinellas-childcare-worker-nabbed-in-polk-prostitution-sting (2019)
- https://www.apalachtimes.com/florida-sheriffs-office-busts-154-in-prostitution-sting (2019)
- Neighborhood Action:
- Community Service:
- Auto Seizure:
- “Law Would Impound Cars of Solicitors”, Lakeland Ledger, April 17 2001.
- “Law Makes It Pay to Solicit and Drive; Police Can Impound and Set Fines on the Vehicles of Those Caught Seeking Prostitutes”, Lakeland Ledger, June 13 2002.
- https://www.flcrimedefense.com/prostitution-sting-in-polk-county-results-in-61-arrests/ (2014)
- License Suspension:
- Sex Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation in the Area:
- “Prostitution Ring Reported Broken”, St. Petersburg Times, May 16 1974.
- “Prostitution Ring Investigated”, Lakeland Ledger, April 11 1975.
- “Woman, Juvenile, Man Arrested Sunday on Prostitution Charges”, Lakeland Ledger, September 23 1985.
- “Lakeland Man Arrested, Charged with Procuring Child for Prostitution”, Lakeland Ledger, May 22 1986.
- “Feds Say Sex Slave Ring Has Polk Ties”, Lakeland Ledger, April 24 1998.
- “Prostitution Ring Broken Up; Has Polk Ties”, Lakeland Ledger, October 19 2005.
- “Teens Held as Sex Slaves, Deputies Say”, Tampa Bay Times, July 14 2011.
- “80 Arrested in Polk Co. Online Prostitution Sting”, ABC/WFTV-TV 9, December 16 2013.
- “Pair Arrested for Allegedly Bringing 16-Year-Old to PCSO Prostitution Sting Involving 80 Suspects”, Lake Wales Daily Ridge, December 16 2013.
- “Sex Arrests: Former Orlando Cop, 97 Others Charged; Undercover Prostitution, Sex-Slavery Probe”, Orlando Sentinel, May 27 2014.
- “Weekend Prostitution Sting Ends with Arrest of 98”, Lakeland Ledger, May 27 2014.
- https://www.tampabay.com/polk-detectives-arrest-103-in-operation-targeting-online-ads-for-prostitution (2018)
- Child Endangerment:
- “13 Arrested in Polk Prostitution Sting Including Man Wearing GPS”, CBS/WNCT-TV 9, October 3 2014.
- “Polk County Prostitution Bust Leads to 95 Arrests,” NBC/WFLA-TV 8, December 14 2015.
- Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “66 Arrested in Prostitution Stings”, Lakeland Ledger, December 12 2006.
- “3 Arrested in Prostitution Internet Sting”, Lakeland Ledger, May 11 2007.
- “Sex Stings More Difficult, Cops Say; Prostitutes Using the Web for Transactions in Osceola and Polk Have Become More Savvy in Skirting Laws”, Orlando Sentinel, May 17 2007.
- “Operation Hot Date: Craigslist Sex Listings Sting Snares 26 in Polk”, Lakeland Ledger, September 14 2009.
- “Over 40 Arrested in Polk County Undercover Prostitution Sting”, ABC/WFTS-TV 28, August 22 2010.
- “Online Prostitution Sting in Polk County Nabs 31 People”, Orlando Sentinel, December 6 2011.
- https://www.tampabay.com/polk-detectives-arrest-103-in-operation-targeting-online-ads-for-prostitution (2018)
State | Florida |
Type | County |
Population | 572967 |
Location |
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