Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park Police use sting operations to charge people with Solicitation and Prostitution. They go to areas where prostitution is common, post women on street corners, set up massage parlors, and use the internet to lure men and women in to arrest them for solicitation. While not considered sex offenses, Solicitation and Prostitution require paying fines, completing classes and serving possible jail time for repeat offenders.
What is Prostitution in Grand and Boulder County?
C.R.S. 18-7-201 defines Prostitution as:
“Any person who performs or offers or agrees to perform any act of sexual intercourse, fellatio, cunnilingus, masturbation, or anal intercourse with any person not his spouse in exchange for money or other thing of value commits prostitution.”
What is Solicitation According to the Colorado Law?
C.R.S. 18-7-202 defines Soliciting for Prostitution or Solicitation as:
- Solicits another for the purpose of prostitution; or
- Arranges or offers to arrange a meeting of persons for the purpose of prostitution; or
- Directs another to a place knowing such direction is for the purpose of prostitution.
Police Stings in Fort Collins or Boulder
Craigslist and other social internet sites are common forums police use for sting operations.
Usually, at a location sting, a female police officer will go undercover as a prostitute and position herself in an area where prostitution is common. When men approach the undercover cop, she directs them to a meeting place, where other police officers are waiting to arrest them. The cars the men were driving are seized and cannot be released until hefty fines are paid.
Another common sting operation Boulder Police use is setting up a massage parlor ruse. We have seen police advertise massage services in seedy magazines. They plan for men to call in and get them to request other, sexual services. The men are given a time and place to get their “massage” and when they arrive, upon confirmation of their sexual expectations, they are arrested.
Craigslist and other social internet sites are another forum police use for sting operations. Police Departments will advertise sex and other sexual services on the sites. When men or women respond to the ads, they are directed to a location in Larimer, Boulder or Grand County where the police subsequently arrest them.