Posing as midweek business travelers looking for sex at local hotels, police from more than a dozen area departments launched the largest prostitution sting in DuPage County in five years late Wednesday.
Police set up the sting at nine DuPage hotels simultaneously, looking to make arrests at each location and put a dent in the local sex tradeβat least for one night. Detective Sgt. Police were targeting 75 escort agencies that cover the area, along with 90 or more independent operators. Officials were hopeful the sting would result in 40 or more prostitution arrests. The results are to be announced Thursday. Police said most of the arrests would likely result in misdemeanor charges and quick releases for the alleged escorts, but the effort was meant to send a message.
Wick said the operation also would likely result in felony arrests for offenders with multiple convictions on their records, perhaps opening the door for officers to pursue the operators of the escort services. Wick said detectives would continue to make arrests as long as the services agreed to provide someone for a rendezvous.
While DuPage has a reputation as a conservative bastion, it also is a fertile market for escort services. The mechanics of an individual bust are relatively simple, police said. One or two undercover detectives wait in the prearranged room, with several officers waiting in an adjoining room.
When an escort arrives, police try to listen through a cracked door to the ensuing conversation. Area police have said escort groups now use the Internet and cellular networks to try to outsmart law enforcement, forcing detectives to work harder to make arrests. Many escort rings require a name, address and home phone number before an escort is even sent out. Once they arrive, escorts often want to see paperwork that proves a customer is who he says he is, Wick said.
