Southington is a town of approximately 43,000 residents, situated near Waterbury and Meriden in Hartford County, Connecticut. In recent years, law enforcement and community members have reported problems with prostitution activity arranged online and occurring in and around local hotels and motels.

Following a series of complaints from residents and business owners in late fall 2014, the Southington Police Department staged a web-based reverse sting to arrest johns. During the operation, a female undercover officer “posing as a prostitute set up meetings with several men at a local motel.” Six men were arrested after arriving at the motel and offering the officer money in exchange for sex. All of the men’s names, ages, and arrest photos were released the public.