Santa Monica Police Dept. cracks down on prostitution
Eight men were arrested Saturday night during an undercover prostitution sting on Lincoln Boulevard.
Three female officers from the Santa Monica Police Department used themselves as bait to lure “Johns” to a street corner on Lincoln Boulevard where they were propositioned and brought to a nearby hotel room. Once the men solicited sex, they were arrested for prostitution, which is a misdemeanor offense.
Known as a “Reverse John Sting,” the undercover officers wore a wire underneath their clothing so vice detectives waiting in a hotel room could hear their conversations with the men, who approached the corner mostly by car.
Within 10 minutes of going undercover, the first female officer nabbed a man who agreed to pay $20 for oral sex at about 9 p.m. His friend, who was a passenger in the vehicle, said he was going to wait “to see whether it was worth it” when his friend returned from the hotel room.
His friend never came out. Instead, he was arrested and taken to the Santa Monica Jail.
Lincoln Boulevard is known as the westside strip for prostitutes, who come from places like Hollywood to turn tricks in Santa Monica and Venice. Because it is a state highway and serves as a main thoroughfare, hookers find the busy street a lucrative place to set up shop.
Residents and merchants off of Lincoln Boulevard know that well. Often times, they are greeted in the morning with drug paraphernalia and used condoms lying on the street. It is the SMPD’s goal to eliminate prostitution in the city.
“This is a quality of life issue,” said SMPD Lt. Frank Fabrega. “People say prostitution is a victim-less crime but it’s not.”
Twelve officers made up of three teams were involved in the sting, which is the fifth one this year. On average, SMPD arrests between three and eight “Johns” during an operation, Fabrega said. He added that the clientele can be both white and blue collar workers.
“We could probably make more arrests if we had more personnel,” Fabrega said.
“We could probably make more arrests if we had more personnel.” — — FRANK FABREGA SMPD spokesman
That was evident judging by the activity the female officers generated on the corner within a two-hour period. At least a dozen cars either slowed, circled the block or stopped to inquire about engaging in prostitution. Some were taxi drivers and airport transport drivers, and two pizza shop employees stopped during deliveries.
SMPD rented out two rooms at a hotel that agreed to allow the sting on the premises. One room was used for the female officer to bring the man inside where vice detectives were waiting. Once they were arrested, the men were taken to a room next door, used as a command post.
SMPD used hotel rooms because it’s safer than the officers getting into the suspects’ vehicles. A few men asked the officers to get into their cars, but they refused.
The second man arrested was seen sitting handcuffed on the hotel bed in the command post while an undercover vice detective explained to him what he was charged with. Two of the female officers sat in the room while the third was outside on the street corner luring more unsuspecting “Johns.”
The second arrestee told officers he’d “never done anything like this before.” However, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he parked his convertible on Lincoln Boulevard, walked up to the officer and discussed with her how much it would cost for “straight sex.” Once they agreed on $30, he returned to his car to lock it and proceeded into the hotel room with the officer for “a quickie.”
The female officers, who wore wigs and dressed modestly in jeans and blouses, told the men they were “working” and asked them if they were looking to “party.” If they said yes, the officer asked the men what they were interested in. Officers told those who weren’t serious that either they show her some “green” or keep moving so she could make some money.
At one point, one of the female officers had three men lined up on the corner. A man driving a glass repair truck circled the block at least three times after he initially talked to the undercover officer about paying for oral sex. He asked the female officer to touch him but she declined saying, “I don’t work for free. Show me some money.” He then drove away.
Most of the men asked if the undercover officers were cops. In most cases, the officers didn’t directly answer the question and just responded by saying, “Do I look like a cop? There are cops all around here.” But a couple of times, the officers said bluntly that they weren’t police, which is completely legal, Fabrega said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 1, 2002. Read the original PDF.