Large and medium sized cities that have separate Vice squads know about TER/Backpage/etc. So why don't they just dedicate one week, one or two officers, to respond to ads and bust the girls?
I understand that arresting street prostitutes might be a higher priority, but that uually results in one arrest while all the other girls run, and then come back in half an hour. Was anything really gained? While spending a few days busting online girls, you could shut down the entire set within just a few days, i would think.
Seriously, what else are the vice officers doing RIGHT NOW, right at this moment, that they can't spend a few days closing down the online girls?
Not that I WANT this to happen!!! Of course not. But I just don't understand why it doesn't happen?
LE knows that the gals who hang out on TER are the smarter ones who know how to screen and spot LE tactics.
So, my guess is that LE trolls Backpage for the younger and less experienced gals who won't screen and bust them instead.
Path of least resistance, in other words.
Anyone can walk into a Sting just remember that girls piss off agencies,clients or another friend turned enemy. The police know were you live,tag numbers,video tape a sex act and watch you enter in a hotel lobby. We aren't as safe.
Which goes back to what I said before cops go after the easiest ones to bust. Orange County cops enjoy using the "johns" who get busted to help them set up girls to bust, however it's their way of saving their own ass.
So, my guess is that LE trolls Backpage for the younger and less experienced gals who won't screen and bust them instead.
Path of least resistance, in other words.
TER is not primarily an ad site. It used to be CL but now others have taken their place. They run a sting for a day or 2 & grab gals who don't screen well. Not every gal will take the bait... Hint: lack of screening & hurry up, right away.
The question, tho, of which ones they respond to and how they approach the calls is the issue. First of all, there are a LOT more girls than there are vice cops so it's hit and miss on who gets targeted. Second, there are other issues like officer safety that factor into this as well. A lot of places will also have them focus on the more visable street girls to get the community elders off their backs.
The bottom line is that big city vice squads know all about this and other sites, track them regularly so it's just a matter of who is unfortunate enough to find themselves in their cross hairs.
They generally use a provider as a reference for themselves .
Street hookers were easy to find in their wellfare districts while their pimps waited in the caddy. Yellow page/escort ads required 12mth contract and too Much personal information required. With the net they have to step up their game to stay aware of Run aways and victims of trafficking. Not to mention dash & Rob teams..
Consider that the average policeman/woman cost around $125K/year including benefits, retirement, and allocable overhead, and for bust that might involve a pimp, they would want more than 2 - preferably 3-4, so you are talking a minimum cost of $2,000 per day, not to mention the other resources involve in booking, processing, prosecuting, etc. So you can see that each bust, assuming 5 a day if you count the time it takes to book, go to an incall, arrest, process - cost government about $400 each. Absent political pressure, this is not a popular activity among police. Now bust of johns where the police run an incall can be a bit more efficient, but still its not a wise use of taxpayer resources, so most do it either (i) in response to political pressure; or (ii) just enough to create/maintian an air of deterence.
I understand that arresting street prostitutes might be a higher priority, but that uually results in one arrest while all the other girls run, and then come back in half an hour. Was anything really gained? While spending a few days busting online girls, you could shut down the entire set within just a few days, i would think.
Seriously, what else are the vice officers doing RIGHT NOW, right at this moment, that they can't spend a few days closing down the online girls?
Not that I WANT this to happen!!! Of course not. But I just don't understand why it doesn't happen?
The analysis makes sense. But the cost only comes into play if those vice officers have SOMETHING ELSE of MORE VALUE TO DO! For example, in my small-to-medium sized town I see about 20-30 ads on BP repeated every day. According to your analysis, a police force should be able to bust all 30 of them in about a week. Most would get the message and high-tail it out of Dodge. A few might require a second arrest with the fear of felony prison time.
So after 2 weeks, the entire internet-based escort/massage scene would be essentially shut down in my town. It seems so friggin easy - why the heck don't they do things like this? What else do they have to do during these 2 weeks?
Instead there is a single high-profile bust of some streetwalkers or a single BP provider every 6 months, displayed prominently on the news, followed by 6 months of "business as usual." WTF???
See there are Senators, police officers and even mayors who need these services these ladies provide. If they are arrested, who will provide them ?.
Girl I see called me upset over bust ... was getting back into business out of financial hardship and regretaly went high volume low discretion with a backpage ad. When undercover showed, she sensed something wrong and refused to go forward, played "dumb" and was busted anyway.
She worked out of residence. Frequently these kind of busts come from neighbor "knows what goes on in there!" calling local poltician (afer multiple calls to cops dont get result), politician's office calls cops and tells them they have disgurnteld constituent, so they set up the sting. Even if the girl senses something wrong and does not do/say anything incriminating, most times they go right ahead and arrest and fill out fictituous arrest report.
Girl pays fine and gets the message "we know you are there ... leave or you'll be hearing from us again"
In Phoenix have busted purely from ads - GFE automatic bust for soliciation and other "codes". No money exchanged just from website.
Also easy bust is violate escorting without a license since required to have license on all ads and of course impossible to get since have to have a location open to inspection, client ID info details of services and location and of course nothing sexual.
Busts like this come in spurts and often associated with the round them up and some them to the Church hooker fair if willing to be rehabilitated by Catholic Charity rescue the hookers and give them a pink purse. Mostly go after private indies not street workers. It is great political show and fund raising to save the in private consenting adult escorts.
In some states the statutes are written so Solicitation can be charged from advertizing but most actually don't. Knowing local laws are a must. The disclaimers written into so many ads may offer an aguement in court (after arrest, booking & other indignities) but it must be understood that disclaimers are superceded once a face to face offer has transpired.
Also easy bust is violate escorting without a license since required to have license on all ads and of course impossible to get since have to have a location open to inspection, client ID info details of services and location and of course nothing sexual.
Busts like this come in spurts and often associated with the round them up and some them to the Church hooker fair if willing to be rehabilitated by Catholic Charity rescue the hookers and give them a pink purse. Mostly go after private indies not street workers. It is great political show and fund raising to save the in private consenting adult escorts.
This site is operated by a retired vice cop. He sends you text messages that you are being investigated for online prostitution. They post your name,number and ad information so when your clients Google your number it's attached to This site. They even harrass you...
That scum bag profits from stealing info from bp & other websites.
Also his lil disclaimers do not protect him if you have the right lawyer. Harassment is also against the law.
Nice little revenue generator... Click on the 'Remove Profile' and it brings up a screen to give your credit card info for $99 to have info removed... Wonder if he really removes it and / or just reposts to collect again?!
I just searched several states, it looks like the limit is 100 profiles per state. Anyone got the 'hacking skills' to load it up with 100 totally fake profiles?!
What makes you think it doesn't happen? Are you really that naive? Cops go after the easiest bait here on TER and other forums, they ask about hookers they have already busted. For example when Felicia Fox was busted in Orange County. I heard she fled to San Francisco and the cops pretend to be a hobbyist asking the most obvious questions about her, as they were trying to track her, to bust her again. They usually contradicted themselves, so it's easy to spot them out and they know the girl is going to be vulnerable and will really need to make money to get herself out of the jam of being busted the first time. There are plenty of cops who go on sites and read the post and pretend to be a hobbyist to make a bust, but it takes them longer with online ads, they would need too, but they can't be everywhere at once.
Cops are generally not crusaders. Also, all police departments have priorities and finite resources. They can bust a few girls or johns and make it look like they are "keeping the community safe" but sooner or later they have to concentrate their forces elsewhere. Therefore, they tend to go after , excuse the term, low hanging fruit.
They might be capable of arresting every girl on BP for a couple of weeks, but they know it is like holding back a flood. I do not think the profession is going away anytime soon. It is profitable.
There are so many laws in general that nearly everyone is breaking some law. Take traffic law as an example, how many people speed, roll through a stop sign, etc., the cops could literally ticket 85% of the drivers passing a section of interstate for a day, but it would clog the court system or cause a public out-cry. I suspect if cops in one town busted every BP advertiser it would have the same effect. Not to mention that there would be 30 more ladies to take advantage of the market being wide open for new talent to arrive...
Another note - anyone can fall into a trap - there was a sting setup in MA where they were trying to close a hotel that 'didn't cooperate fully' with LE so it was targeted. Any unfortunates that happened to use that hotel were caught up in the sting no matter how careful they were about screening...
They might be capable of arresting every girl on BP for a couple of weeks, but they know it is like holding back a flood. I do not think the profession is going away anytime soon. It is profitable.