DENVER (CBS4) – Undercover officers in Denver recently took part in a nationwide operation to crack down on men soliciting prostitutes.
The Denver Police Department is part of national coalition that aims to lessen the demand for purchasing sex. They say 20 men were arrested on and around East Colfax Avenue between mid January and Super Bowl Sunday.
“(The officers) are posing as a prostitute so they have individuals approaching them looking to buy sex,” Commander Mark Fleecs said.
The 20 men who were arrested are among 600 who now face charges across the country during what’s been dubbed the National Super Bowl Sex Sting Operation. A total of 36 jurisdictions in 16 different states participated.
“Human trafficking obviously is something we take very seriously,” Fleecs said.
Denver police say they perform similar stings nearly once a month and make an average of 20 arrests each time.
A week ago FBI agents in a separate police effort arrested two suspects for enslaving six girls. The probe took place while the National Western Stock Show was going on.
“I think that there are lot of large scale events throughout the country at certain times that, certainly, the demand for prostitution rises,” Fleecs said.
