Pleasanton police arrested 11 men Thursday during an undercover prostitution sting operation at a local hotel. To conduct the sting operation, "undercover officers used a fictitious profile to create an online advertisement designed to attract commercial sex purchasers seeking prostitution services," police officials said in a statement released Friday.
The operation lasted eight hours, during which time over 40 people responded to the advertisement, 10 of whom agreed to pay money for a sexual act and came to the hotel where officers were waiting, police said. Another man arrived at the hotel in an attempt to act as the officer's "pimp.
The 11 men were arrested for various crimes, including solicitation of prostitution, resisting arrest, pandering and meeting with a minor with the intention of engaging in lewd or lascivious behavior. Two were arrested on additional felony charges: the one who tried to become a "pimp," and another who arrived believing the undercover officer was a year-old girl. The 11 men ranged in age from , according to Pleasanton police Sgt.
Brandon Stocking. One of the suspects was a Pleasanton resident. All were booked at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. The Livermore and Hayward police departments also took part in this sting operation. Burglaries, theft, vandalism, etc. But glad to see Pleasanton is spending tens of millions capturing nonviolent people in meaningless raids.
Norm All - I sincerely doubt a one day operation cost "tens of millions of dollars", especially considering the entire department's budget is roughly 28 million dollars. You should also educate yourself about what prostitution really is. The reality is most of the prostitutes are victims of pimps that sexually exploit them. Impacting the demand for this type of victimization is a big step toward helping the victims of sex trafficking.
