Houston-area law enforcement arrested more than johns and sex traffickers during a weeks-long crackdown on local prostitution. The operation came as part of an annual, nationwide operation called the "National Johns Suppression Initiative," in which law enforcement agencies across the country made more than 1, arrests.
He announced the results of the operation Friday morning, along with leaders from the Houston Police Department, the Harris County District Attorney's Office, and several non-profits. The operation ran from June 28 through July 31 and included 37 law enforcement agencies in 17 states, according to the sheriff's office. HPD arrested 88 sex-purchasers and nine traffickers, while sheriff's deputies arrested sex buyers. The move comes as many local law enforcement agencies have retooled their operations to try to tackle demand for prostitution, rather than arresting women who have often been previously victimized or forced into prostitution.
According to the DA's office, assistant district attorneys prosecuted cases against approximately 1, sellers of sex in , along with approximately buyers. To date so far this year, the department has prosecuted cases against buyers of sex, and against sellers of sex. The annual operation is coordinated by the Cook County Sheriff's Office in Illinois, and it is intended draw attention to the exploitive nature of the sex trafficking industry and reduce the demand for purchased sex.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office Vice Unit conducted the sting operation with the cooperation of eight different hotel operators.
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