Undercover female officers nabbed 19 would-be Johns in a late October prostitution sting, the Fairfax County Police Department announced on Tuesday.
The operation, which involved more than a dozen officers, was focused near Alexandria outside the Fairview Motel and Brookside Motel on Richmond Highway. Officers patrolled the area from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 27, police spokeswoman Officer Keela Lowry said.
“It’s a controlled operation,” she said. “They were in a position where they can be approached by men.”
Female officers only needed to be solicited by the men; an actual exchange of money was not necessary for an arrest, Lowry said. Charges were almost entirely for solicitation, but also included obstruction of justice and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Those arrested lived as close as Alexandria and as far away as Tomball, Texas. They were as young as 21 and as old as 53, according to the department.
A prostitution sting in the same area in March netted 30 arrests, according to a police department press release.
“[Police] have noticed that in this particular area, there might be a problem going on,” Lowry said. “This is not something that’s rampant in the county.”
