Wednesday night, Spokane Police officers busted three men for soliciting prostitution on east Sprague Avenue. It was the first sting since the police department started an anti-prostitution campaign there last month.
Police Sergeant Mike McNab says they arrested the men for attempting to patronize undercover officers, and towed two of their cars. McNab acknowledges prostitution has been a longtime problem there, and it will be a huge hurdle to overcome.
McNab: “But the ‘see-something, say-something’ campaign is telling people yes we’re out here, yes we’re working together, we’re working with the business owners, working with the community, in order to get this stuff reported, ‘cause we’re following up on each and every one of those complaints.”
He says complaints from neighbors have gone up significantly. And apparently it’s driving prostitution out. Police spokesperson Monique Cotton got a call from reporters in Montana, asking what her department is doing, because prostitutes from Spokane had been arrested right there in Missoula.
Tera Brown, vice president of East Spokane Business Association, says the neighborhood now feels empowered.
Tara Brown: “So they feel really hopeful and excited about it, and two, the number of girls we see on the street seems to really have been reduced."
The city recently designated east Sprague as having “high prostitution activity”, which will lead to more stings, and allows officers to impound involved cars.
Copyright 2015 Spokane Public Radio
