To combat prostitution and sex trafficking in the area, local law enforcement agencies have targeted consumer-level demand for commercial sex, which provides the revenue stream driving all commercial sex and trafficking. To identify and apprehend sex buyers driving the local prostitution and sex trafficking markets, street-level reverse stings have been conducted. For example, in September 2018, eleven men were arrested in the Shelby County area for attempting to pay for sex. The arrests occurred in north Shelby County along the U.S. 280 corridor as part of “Operation Close Out,” an undercover reverse sting carried out by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force. The identities of the arrested men were included in news releases. In October 2018, the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force (SCDETF) carried out a second round of Operation Close Out in northern Shelby County along the U.S. 280 corridor, resulting in nine men being arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution. The suspects were from Mountain Brook, Birmingham, Vestavia Hills, and Kentucky and Tennessee.

In May 2019, an undercover reverse prostitution sting — where law enforcement focused on apprehending sex buyers — led to the arrests of 13 men in Shelby County. The operation, called “Operation Close Out, Round 4,″ was conducted by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Hoover Police Department and was one of four similar stings that also took place in September 2018, October 2018, and February 2019. All four operations led to 46 arrests. After the May 2019 reverse sting, the photos and other identifiers for all arrestees were publicly posted. In October 2019, the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force made 11 arrests during a reverse prostitution sting. The operation was carried out in North Shelby County in the Riverchase area and concluded a yearlong undercover investigation by SCDETF and the Hoover Police Department.

In February 2021, 15 people were arrested in reverse sting conducted by the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force, which they called the first phase of “Operation Intercept.” The operation was intended to be a continuation of the previous operations that took place in October 2019, May 2019, February 2019, October 2018, and September 2018, which resulted in a total of 57 offenders being arrested in connection with prostitution and sex trafficking. SCDETF, in partnership with the Hoover Police Department, conducted this operation in North Shelby County in the Riverchase area. Names and identifiers of the 15 arrestees were released to the press. Major Clay Hammac of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office explained:

“The purpose of these operations is to aggressively pursue patrons of the sex-trafficking industry, which is directly connected to human trafficking. Furthermore, law enforcement wishes to demonstrate a zero-tolerance for criminal solicitation and attack the demand for these type enterprises.”