By Laura C. Morel Published Feb. But they weren't there to shop at his Italian gourmet shop. Instead, Plateroti watched as prostitutes approached the cars and sat inside, the drivers then pulling away onto one of Clearwater's main thoroughfares. That was several years ago, but the problem hasn't gone away.
Prostitution-related arrests have more than doubled in Clearwater in recent years: from 33 in to 71 in Clearwater police Chief Anthony Holloway attributes the uptick in arrests to about half-a-dozen undercover operations completed last year. Johns will stop in front of them assuming that they may be a prostitute.
Occasionally, police will tell residents when a sting is coming up. But sometimes, they don't, Schrader said, adding that a business owner once yelled at a supposed prostitute to get off his property. She was an undercover officer. Prostitution, Schrader said, "keeps coming up. It's a chronic issue. But cracking down on prostitution presents challenges. Some prostitutes have stopped walking the streets and instead are seeking clients through advertising websites such as backpage.
Some officers have had to pose as clients on backpage. Police said they arrest the same 10 to 15 prostitutes over and over. They will be charged and booked into the jail, but return to the street once they're free, the chief said. That causes problems for undercover officers, who are now recognized by those they have recently arrested.
Several police units have had to get involved in prostitution stings, including the bike and vice units, to avoid being recognized by suspects. Largo and Clearwater police also trade officers during undercover stings. Holloway said his department has talked to the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office about the women who are repeatedly arrested for prostitution in Clearwater.
