638 arrests and 9,114 deterred with bot in 15th National Johns Suppression Initiative operation, which ended Feb. 4.
 
More than 30 police agencies across 16 states, targeted customers of prostitutes, known as "Johns."
 
Of the roughly 638 sex buyers arrested across the U.S., 18 individuals face trafficking-related charges, with 15 victims – three of whom are juveniles – recovered during the stings, police said.

The recent sting also featured new technology after the Cook County Sheriff's office partnered with the organization Seattle Against Slavery to launch a "bot," called Project Intercept, in six municipalities during the nationwide operation.

The bot posted ads online with phone numbers that connected to other online bots posing as prostitutes, carrying names such as Ariel, Brook and Cari, and interacting via text message with individuals seeking to buy sex, police said.

During the interaction, the bot eventually sets a price for the service, and after the price is agreed to, the bot sends a deterrence message letting the sex buyer know that soliciting sex is a crime, police said.

The message also directs potential buyers to websites with more information on the harms of soliciting sex, police said.

In addition to Cook County, the bot was activated in Boston, King County, Seattle, Los Angeles County and Phoenix, engaging with a total of 9,114 potential sex buyers.

The bot also was used in Minneapolis during the day of the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 and recorded the most interaction of all active cities that day, showing demand for sex remains high in locations near the Super Bowl, police said.

"This incredible technology helps to further the work done by law enforcement to bring attention to the exploitative nature of the sex trafficking industry and reduce the demand for purchased sex that serves to perpetuate a cycle of violence, mental illness and drug addiction for victims."  
Source Chicago Tribune 2/8/2017

Further comment 2/8/2018 from Oregon showing how well the propaganda campaign funded by major anti-sex groups is getting $millions of funding to argue all sex workers are victims, need to be saved, and to go after the demand (customers):
 
“Prostitution is a dangerous criminal enterprise, closely related to narcotics, violence, sexual assault, commercial sexual exploitation of women and children, and in some cases human trafficking,” the Sheriff’s Office stated in a press release.