Rocky Ford is a city of approximately 4,000 residents located in Otero County, Colorado. Instances of prostitution and sex trafficking have been documented in the city and surrounding areas. This activity and its ancillary crimes have generated residential complaints to local law enforcement. Among the more serious issues associated with the area’s commercial sex market have been serial homicides of prostituted women and instances of adult and child sex trafficking.

In effort to reduce instances of prostitution and sex trafficking in the area, tactics targeting individuals seeking to purchase commercial sex have been deployed. For example, in April 2020, the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Metro Vice Unit conducted a web-based reverse sting operation in Rocky Ford that resulted in the arrest of one male sex buyer. According to reports, law enforcement posted a decoy ad of a 16-year-old girl on a website known for prostitution and sex trafficking, and the offender believed himself to in communication with a minor. Upon arriving to the predetermined location in Rocky Ford, he was arrested by law enforcement officials. The offender fled from officials, resulting in a police chase. He was captured by officials after falling into a canal. He was arrested and charged for the felony offenses of Soliciting for Child Prostitution and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Child. The offender allegedly attempted to solicit sexually explicit photos from the “16-year-old girl” in addition to sex acts. The Colorado Springs Police Department, Rocky Ford Police Department and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation believed there to be additional victims and called for neighborhood action, asking citizens to report any information that could potentially lead police to the discovery and identification of the other victims.