Utica is a city of approximately 65,000 residents, located along the Mohawk River near Rome in Oneida County, New York. Prostitution and sex trafficking are well-documented problems in the city and its surrounding areas. In one 2003 case, a 16-year-old sex trafficking victim was murdered in Utica. In 2019, a sex buyer in Utica was the victim of an armed robbery, and shot and killed the person who appeared to be working with the prostituted woman and attempted the robbery. The man was an off-duty police officer who was not charged with homicide and apparently shot in self defense, but he was charged with the misdemeanor of “patronizing a prostitute.”

Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. For example, the Utica Police Department has conducted street-level reverse stings targeting male sex buyers. In May and June 2011, officers from the UPD’s Special Operations Unit posed as prostituted women in areas of the city “known for high levels of prostitution activity.” As men approached the undercover officers and made an offer of cash for sex, they were arrested by a backup team. All of the individuals’ names, mugshots, and other identifying information were released to the public.

A local law enforcement respondent to the 2022 National Assessment Survey reported that the city has conducted has conducted web-based reverse stings and ordered community service for arrested sex buyers.  It has also conducted public education and neighborhood action specifically targeting the demand for commercial sex, and used cameras to deter or collect evidence against sex buyers.