By Jon Parton
Human trafficking and prostitution arrests are on the rise in Johnson County. The increase in arrests is due to the police department’s crackdown on prostitution-related crimes and human trafficking.
The Overland Park Police Department conducted a vice sting in February that resulted in multiple arrests. Most of the suspects involved in that sting resided outside of Overland Park and Johnson County.
According to Gary Mason, public information officer, Overland Park Police, a lot of the arrests made in the past year involve suspects who are not residents of Johnson County. He said that a couple of minors have been arrested in the past as well.
“Most of the ones [arrested] are outside of the city,” Mason said. “I think we do have a large number of people that come through our city and get arrested on those charges; [they] are from out of town.”
The vice unit works with the FBI Innocence Lost Task Force, a group that seeks to address the increase of domestic sex trafficking of children nationwide. One member of the vice unit also serves as a member of the Kansas Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force Advisory Board. Mason said that Overland Park is a tempting target for human traffickers.
“The freeways that run through our city attract a lot of business, good or bad,” Mason said. “And a large number of hotels we have, too.”
Mason said that traffickers are using the internet more and more in order to conduct their business, requiring law enforcement to switch tactics. The police now frequently look at websites in order to curb the practice of prostitution.
“I think social media has definitely changed the dynamics of things,” Mason said. “We use different things, Craigslist one week, and the next time we’ll change it up, post an ad, and try to bring in people to come to us.”
According to Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass, the city sees increased activity of prostitution within hotels and sometimes even apartment communities.
“Currently, the most prevalent types of prostitution in Overland Park are ‘call girls’ who either rent a room and customers come to them, or travel to different locations to meet customers,” Douglass said in a prepared statement.
Mason said that the increase of arrests is due to Douglass’s policy to crack down on prostitution and human trafficking.
“A large part of it is from the chief’s initiatives brought forth to the city and department back in 2010,” Mason said. “That’s why you see such a big jump [in arrests].
Patrick Dobson, professor, History, said that human trafficking, or slavery, has consistently been a part of the world.
“In terms of slavery, in general, it’s probably never ended,” Dobson said. “It just has taken on a different face and a different legal status. And a lot of it is oriented around sex and labor.”
Contact Jon Parton, news editor, at jparton@jccc.edu.