Lenexa is a city of approximately 59,000 residents, located in northeast Kansas. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of Johnson County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes […]
Lawrence is a city of approximately 80,000 residents, located in Essex County, in Northeastern Massachusetts. In recent decades it has had among lowest median household income in the state. Prostitution has presented persistent and serious problems in the city for decades, including documented cases of sex trafficking, child endangerment, and the rape and homicide of […]
Las Vegas is the largest city in Nevada, with approximately 647,000 residents, and is located in Clark County. Dubbed “the Entertainment Capital of the World,” Las Vegas has also been identified by federal and local law enforcement as one of the nation’s largest hubs of prostitution and sex trafficking. Prostitution in the state of Nevada […]
Lansing is the capital of Michigan. It is the state’s fifth-largest city, with approximately 113,000 residents. For decades, community members have complained about commercial sex and related crimes in the city – including sex trafficking – with the majority of activities often clustered around the Kalamazoo Street corridor. To address these issues, the Lansing Police […]
Lancaster is a city of approximately 158,000 residents, in Los Angeles County, CA, located just north of the city of Los Angeles. Prostitution and sex trafficking are significant issues in the city. A wide range of problems are associated with the local commercial sex market, including rape and multiple homicides of prostituted persons (several of […]
Lakeland is a city of approximately 115,000 residents, located between Tampa and Orlando in Polk County, FL. Prostitution has been a persistent and visible problem in the area for decades. The Lakeland Police Department has adopted several tactics to identify and apprehend sex buyers and sellers. Beginning in 1988, Lakeland officers have incorporated street-level reverse […]
Lake Elsinore is a city of approximately 66,000 residents, located south of Riverside near Temecula in Riverside County, California. Residents and local law enforcement have reported problems with both street-level and indoor prostitution and sex trafficking in the city for many years. In addition, Lake Elsinore has served as the operating base for at least one […]
Lake County has approximately 700,000 residents and is located in the northeastern corner of Illinois. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been known to occur in the county; for example, in November 2012 one of three men involved in a Lake County human trafficking investigation pleaded guilty. The Lake County Sheriff’s Department has conducted several street-level […]
Lafayette is a city of approximately 127,000 residents, located an hour west of Baton Rouge, LA. It is the government seat of Lafayette Parish, LA. Prostitution and related activity have been well-documented in the cities and surrounding areas. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates results in complaints to law enforcement agencies […]
Kissimmee is a city of approximately 80,000 residents situated near Orlando, FL, in Osceola County, FL. Prostitution and sex trafficking are persistent and visible problems in the city and in surrounding communities. Among the more serious crimes associated with the commercial sex market is child sex trafficking. For example, in November of 2013, an Osceola […]
Demand Forum is powered by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and directed by Dr. Michael Shively, NCOSE's Senior Advisor on Research and Data Analysis. It was originally developed by Dr. Shively and Abt Associates with grant support from the National Institute of Justice. In January 2020 the website transferred to NCOSE. In January 2021, work began on a new grant from NIJ (#2020-75-CX-0011) to update and expand the content presented on Demand Forum.
