Found a cheap escort just doing a google search, didn't use this site like a big dummy.  I texted the lady and got a reply with the cheap motel and per half hour prices and hours prices.  I showed up around back where she told me to go and spotted a cop on the side hiding,

The only way you can ever be charged with solicitation is if you offer XYZ dollar amount for XYZ sexual acts.  
I just do not know how much more I can stress this: do NOT discuss money. do NOT discuss sex acts. It is completely legal in all 50 states for you to pay someone for their time. As long as you did not mention anything sexual in the texts you should be fine.  
And this is also probably a good time to remind everyone that if you do ever get arrested say NOTHING. Nada. Zip it.  
Don't negotiate. Don't ask if for an extra $50 if you can get a BBBJCIM. Don't risk it!!
You do not want a solicitation charge on your record for your whole family to see.  
Money=time ONLY
As always,  
Stay sane and stay safe

A cop can do whatever he wants to do and many busts have occurred by the guy just walking in the room. Now will the bust stick? Will the DA prosecute it? Maybe, maybe not, as the cop may lie, but the damage is already done as the clients name will, in all likelihood, be made public. Getting the case tossed out or him "winning" the trial wont matter in most cases as he could still lose everything by the mere public allegation.

Much depends on the state.

Let me push back on one thing. Probable cause is necessary for a "good" arrest. You and I both know there are thousands of cases of all types of crimes that have been tossed bc it was decided in court that probable cause was not met. But that is small consolation to the guy who loses his job, wife, kids, etc over just the arrest. The ultimate outcome of the court room proceedings is meaningless to him as the damage to his rep is already done by the very public accusation.
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Lastly, I really wasn't cop bashing in general. Again, there are bad apples in every profession so of course there have been cops who have lied as to what was said, or not said, in a sting operation that Scarlet alludes too.

There was an operation in Nassau County, Long Island some years ago. A bunch of guys were arrested going into a hotel room, and charged, then their names and photos were released to the media  
Many of them had the charges dropped, and eventually the County was forced to change the policy on publishing the names and photos.
But the damage was done and these men were publicly shamed.  

The first, always be aware of your surroundings. Having just rushed in and not having been paying attention seems like it would have ended badly here.  

where the rooms have doors that open onto the parking lot is a bad idea.  These are most often used for stings.  Hotels (with an "H") will not be as cooperative with LE if they want to set up a sting in a room accessed via an elevator to an upper floor.  Dragging some unlucky John in handcuffs down the hallway, into the elevator, and through the lobby is bad for business.  However, in a Motel, they will set up the sting with two adjoining rooms and pulling the monger out of the room and directly into a police car is less intrusive on other guests who's expectations are not that high in a motel.  If the Hotel elevator doesn't require a key card to operate, where the provider must come down and meet you first before taking you up to the room, don't go through with it.  If anything seems suspicious, you can bail out in the lobby and leave.   The same thing applies to an outcall where YOU are hosting.  When you have to go down and meet her, you have one last chance to bail if she's not the girl in her website photos.

All of what you said is correct. The kicker is that the vast majority of men that are arrested are just going to pay the fine and try to reassemble their lives. The info I gave *may* prevent someone was getting arrested, but if LE is spending a shit ton on a sting you can bet they are going to arrest as many men as possible for the sting to "look good". They are going to sort out the details later, which is many cases the charges will be dropped. Or better yet they will say they will give you a deal if you plead guilty to whatever lesser charge, pay the fine, and you are off again. I have seen several stings where 15 guys were arrested, no prostitution charges where even filed on any of them, and 3 or 4 that had drug charges, warrants, and illegal fire arms were charged with these offences. And then they can say they were successful with cleaning up the streets! The waste of tax payer dollars and the ruining of lives unnecessarily will continue until all adult consensual sex work is decriminalized.
 All of your comments are respectful to me in person or online.  I would expect nothing less from you.  

And I really do think your advice was spot on about keeping your mouth shut if arrested and I should have noted that in my response to you. I so appreciate you posting here and for standing up to a few board bullies who want you gone. Thanks again!

THE most important piece of advice given is to STFU - exercise your absolute right to counsel and do not speak to police. You need to provide booking information but that's it.

Here you go:

It sounds like a cop sting. Trust me I've been doing this for 30 years. I never would have done that to you. Text me (609) 428-9884

Text you to discuss police stings?

I don't remember the stories (fiction short stories; fiction short stories in magazines; maybe even a movie scene?) but I have "seen" both versions that go something like this:
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Guy being detained / arrested: "I wasn't looking to have sex with you. I knew you were a cop."
Escort Decoy Cop: "How did you know?"
Guy: "You're too beautiful to be a real escort."  
(Cue the violins as a love story ensues.)
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Guy being detained / arrested: "I wasn't looking to have sex with you. I knew you were a cop."
Escort Decoy Cop: "How did you know?"
Guy: "You're too ugly to be a real escort."  
(Cut away to hospital emergency room with Guy getting stitched up from accidentally falling on Decoy Cop's fists.)

The story as told, I'd venture to say it wasn't a sting.. but either way I can't really rationally the explain what the hell was the cop doing.

Everything in the story “as told” points to the OP narrowly avoiding a vice sting. Questioning the need to follow because the officer could have run his plates is uninformed. In many jurisdictions, an officer can’t run plates without cause. What he can do is follow a suspect and hope the suspect commits a traffic violation.  Then he gets to interact…”what are you doing on this side of town?” “Were you at the motel to meet someone?” “If I have any more questions, is this your current address? Unless you would rather just talk now…”

The OP indicates that he texted the lady and set up a date. If it was a sting/set-up it would have been easy for LEO to run the phone number and know who the caller/texter was, and confirm his vehicle and picture through a DMV search. Plus, the text exchange would have been probable cause (a very low legal standard) to conduct the internet searches. Now, I have no idea if this was a sting or not, but if it was IMO it's likely the cops knew who the potential suspect was, and then could have followed him looking for a reason to make a traffic stop and follow the procedure you suggested.

Ah yes a vice sting with a cop car that can be seen in plain sight as someone drives into a motel.

I think this is a very big assumption to make.

No one even knows if it was, in fact, a cop. The OP assumed that but unless it was a marked car it's really just speculation.

Well, since he said a cop followed him I assumed he meant a cop car.

Serious Q:

The first mistake you are making is assuming cops are smart. Cops are humans who do dumb things all the time. Not every sting is a highly choreographed event, sometimes Cops get sloppy.  

in the pic supposed to be the Escalade?

I would guess either the external spot light that sometimes is mounted on the driver's A-pilar or the small one's in the front grill and rear deck under the rear window.

Jensen already answered it, but unmarked cop cars have extra lights to turn on if needed. Sirens on demand. Sometimes they manually they put it on. Most of the time they're visible either near the windshield or at the rear.  

I already stated that I can't really find a rational explanation to as to what the cop was doing.

I didn't assume cops are smart.

I did ask it seriously. I have witnessed a variety of suspicious and even illegal activity and I write stuff down. Eg., reckless, speeding driver running red lights. If possible, I jot down vehicle info and license plate info. NOTHING has ever come of it: no news headlines about a deadly accident close to that location.  
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I usually park far away from store entrances at big malls / parking lots to avoid shopping cart and sloppy parking accidents damaging my car. Not too long ago, while walking from the desolate area towards the shops, I saw a van parked next to a fancy car (so that the van blocked the view from the "crowded" side). Some guy, positioned in the narrow space between the two vehicles was removing the front right wheel from the fancy car. It looked REALLY suspicious -- no other person was there, just the mechanic -- but the innocent explanation is: fancy car owner had a flat and called someone (friend? regular mechanic?) to come and fix it. Nevertheless, I memorized while walking past and then, 10 seconds later, I  jotted down the van info ... just in case.  
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I assume that a cop is allowed to jot down info "without cause" ... and can use that info after the fact, if necessary. True? I don't see any way that that can unauthorized snooping, searching or anything like that.

It is an homage to TER member Escalade1964. "Your thoughts if any?"

I’m guessing different departments do different things so I can only speak for my area.  

Agree about what LEO uses for undercover vehicles. In SoCal they frequently use vehicles seized in drug or other busts. The do frequently have government plates on the but it's hard to discern that in your rearview mirror.
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You talked about distinctive lights. When I was learning to drive in the late 60s the CHP drove Oldsmobile Cutlass and they had two yellow running lights very low on the front bumper. They were a dead giveaway if you could spot them.

What if the incident had nothing to do with the escort but rather the location?  Say the cheap motel was a known location for drug dealers/sales. The client shows up, does a turn, sees a cop car, and gets out of Dodge. That looks suspicious and so the cop follows him hoping for a reason to pull him over, thinking there’s a good chance of a drug bust.  

There are plenty of police departments that sell their vehicles at auction. Some will remove everything that's not factory installed and plenty of others have no issues leaving the spotlights in place as well as the grill lights - the wiring and controllers are removed rendering the lights inoperable.

The ones you can "manually" place on the roof and remove just by grabbing them and pulling them off/placing them back. I think thats what he means. lol.

Bubble gum machine. Not used anymore. Really old technology.

You watch too many Kojak reruns.

How's retirement?

thanks for the explanation.

LoL retirement is good thanks, except for that gas powered dildo Ed bought broke down.

Hello CDL,

It's very state dependent. Hard to make blanket statements about what's chargeable and what's not.