Everett police arrest men in ‘john’ sting
Published 3:10 pm Friday, September 28, 2007
EVERETT – Six men were cited for patronizing a prostitute in an undercover operation Thursday night along Everett streets.
The “john” sting was part of an ongoing effort by Everett police to address an increased number of complaints about prostitution in south Everett.
Female police officers posed as prostitutes in north and south Everett during the three-hour sting. Undercover and uniformed officers waited nearby ready to move in once the decoys were offered money for sex. In some cases it took as little as three minutes for a man to stop and make an offer to the undercover female officers.
The men were ordered out of their vehicles and handcuffed. Officers searched their vehicles, photographed them and handed them a ticket.
Some denied making an offer to the decoy. Others admitted they stopped to buy sex.
Police believe it’s a matter of supply and demand. If they’re able to deter the customers fewer prostitutes will be out on the street. In August police went after the prostitutes and arrested seven women who offered an undercover police officer sex for money.
The sting operations were conducted along Evergreen Way in south Everett and Broadway in north Everett. Both areas have long attracted prostitutes and their patrons.
