Gates Police allowed 13WHAM News to accompany them during a recent prostitution sting at a suburban motel. Our cameras were allowed to capture everything, but we did blur faces of undercover officers to protect their identities. Police placed two ads on the internet site Backpage.com. The ad promised "a hot blonde and a $40 special for the night." Minutes after it was posted, the calls and texts came in. What callers didn't know: the woman answering the phone was an undercover police officer. Some were skeptical, questioning whether she was a police officer and asking for details. The officer didn't give any specifics until callers agreed to show up. We were set up in a motel room across the hall along with two officers. They kept watch through a peep hole in the door when customers showed up. At least two men walked in the room but then bolted after becoming suspicious. One asked the undercover officer to take off her clothes. When she refused, he left. Later, he sent a text that read: 'That's what I thought. Cop." But the fear of getting caught didn't deter others. Several responded to the ad and agreed to show up to a motel room in the suburbs. The visits were timed so only one customer showed up at a time. In the other room, an undercover officer posed as a prostitute while a uniformed officer hid in the closet. When the offer was made and accepted and money exchanged, police burst through the doors wearing body cameras to capture the arrest. We were also there with our cameras recording the arrest. The first man was apologetic. He said he was hesitant to respond to the ad but did so because the woman on the phone "was so kind." He was handcuffed and arrested after telling officers he was wanted on a warrant for something else. The second man was a warehouse worker. e was nervous and said it was his first time doing this. When we asked if he would do it again, he said no way. Though it is only a misdemeanor charge, Gates Police say an arrest like this can ruin reputations, careers and families. But they said at least for the men, it is a deterrent. That's the point of the arrests. Police said though people think this is a victimless crime, they say the women working as prostitutes are victims. They are often young women, some underage, selling their services to feed a heroin addiction. Police say men are humiliated when they are caught, and their mugshot snapped on a motel room bed. Their names and mugshots are also released by police to the media. Gates Police began doing these stings after receiving a letter from a mother pleading with them to arrest her daughter. She was a heroin addict and was working as a prostitute to feed her habit. Her mother was afraid she would get killed, so she asked police to help. They set up a sting and arrested the woman. She served time in jail, but got treatment for her addiction in rehab after. She is clean now and working full-time. Her mother told 13WHAM News she believes police helped save her daughter's life. Police say that is why they do this. On a different night, police used a male undercover officer to pose as a john, and busted two women for prostitution. Police shared their body cam video of another sting with 13WHAM News. While these stings do deter men from soliciting prostitutes, the same isn't true with women. They often repeat their crimes. Not only are these encounters dangerous for the women, and men, they can also be risky for police. On one recent sting an undercover officer was robbed at knifepoint. The Friday night we went along with police, they made several arrests. Officer Lance Duffy said it does%2
