Statesboro is a community of approximately 33,000 residents in eastern Georgia, in the greater Savannah region. Prostitution is a documented problem in the city and has generated complaints from residents to the police department. Efforts to address the problem have included targeting demand.

In January 2013, the Statesboro Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit conducted an undercover prostitution and pandering operation in Statesboro. Eight males were charged with pandering (solicitation of sex for pay), and one female was charged with prostitution. While the term “pandering” can mean “pimping,” in this case and other Georgia communities, pandering refers to “procuring” or buying sex. The names and ages of the arrestees were included in a police press release. A similar operation in November 2009 produced 13 arrests.

In June 2014, SPD officers conducted a web-based reverse sting, resulting in the arrest of 11 sex buyers. The men had responded to an internet advertisement posted by undercover officers and arranged to meet at a local hotel. The SPD distributed the names and mugshots of all of the arrestees to the public and commented that the hotel cooperated with police for the purposes of the investigation. A similar operation in 2021 resulted in the arrest of nine sex buyers.