Eureka Times Standard
HUMBOLDT COUNTY, Calif. — Eureka police have arrested 11 women during undercover operations this month on prostitution charges, eight of them during patrols in Eureka’s Old Town area.
The undercover operation conducted Wednesday by officers of the Eureka Police Department’s Problem Oriented Policing (POP) unit consisted of an officer posing as a potential solicitor of prostitutes who would drive through a high-prostitution area of town.
When approached by suspected prostitutes, undercover officers would record any solicitations made and then allow the women to enter the undercover vehicles. The suspected prostitutes would then be driven to a specific location where they would be arrested by waiting officers.
Eight females between the ages of 22 and 53 were taken into custody and booked into the Humboldt County jail on charges of prostitution and other associated charges. All but two of the females were from the Humboldt County area.
Earlier this month, an undercover operation was conducted focusing on those utilizing the Internet to solicit and set up “meetings” for the purpose of prostitution. As a result of that operation, three females ages 19 to 33 were taken into custody.
Copyright 2011 Times - Standard