As far as the recent repetitive news stories, it's sort of the same as letting you know where LE are going to be setting up traffic stops to check for drunk driving, seat belt checks and the like.  I've never really understood the legal necessity behind it, but I guess it's your warning that they're going to be enforcing those laws in a proactive situation rather than a probable cause scenario.  Kind of running over your 4th ammendment rights, but not really, because you should have paid attention.

Vice is normally a training ground for bigger and better assignments. I believe that it includes alcohol, tobacco and firearms, enforcement,normally, as well as some narcotics activities and a plethora of other activities that can fall under the "vice" umbrella.

An arrest for solicitation is also probable cause for those vice detectives to search your car, hotel room, home (wherever the arrest was made and sometime they will push that limit) take your fingerprints and in some cases a judge orders DNA samples to enter into the "system" for comparison to other, more significant cases.

It's quite likely these men and women of vice are hoping to catch serial killers much like the Green River guy, etc.

There are SEVERAL open homicide cases right here in town, some recent, some dating back 20 years of women that are believed to have been involved in prostitution.  Possibly at the hands of someone closer than a "john" but one won't know until the case is solved.

I wouldn't assume that Vice thinks of internet activity any differently than street activity in the long or short of it.

IF there are secondary crimes involved, normally it's narcotics  on the periphery.  Hooray, a felony. Not likely but it happens.

Since 9/11/2001 and the discovery that some of the perpetrators were quite involved in the strip clubs and women that worked there, I suppose the vice detectives hope to nab some information that will lead them to a terrorist ring.  

Even a juvenile prostitution ring is a "great catch", earning a detective with good writing skills (reports take all the time, the time that the actual bust/booking takes is neglible in comparison) a chance at a better assignment, like maybe homicide, mounted, or even motors  (traffic means learning really hard math equations in order to testify regarding fatal accidents nice LITTLE raises come with these promotions as well as status and freedom and maybe even a better vehicle assignment)....  Not too  many cops want to stick around at vice.

Yeah, I know a couple of cops intimately.  I know a couple of defense attorneys intimately as well.  You can't choose your family but you CAN choose your friends.

I'd like to add that one of the moments that changed my life drastically was in 1986 when on duty CHP Officer Craig Peyer murdered the sister of a girl that I grew up with. In the end, LE is merely a microcosm of society sworn to enforce the laws of the land.

Elise [email protected]