Posted by Maria Rodriguez | August 27, 2025
"I called 911 because a client was threatening me, and when the cops showed up, they arrested me instead of him," Sarah told me, her hands shaking slightly as she recalled the incident from six months ago. "I was the victim calling for help, but they treated me like the criminal. That's when I realized the police weren't going to protect me—they saw me as the problem."
Sarah's experience isn't isolated. During two years of reporting, I've documented dozens of cases where well-intentioned law enforcement efforts have gone badly wrong, often making sex workers less safe rather than more protected. Today I want to share some of these stories—not to attack individual officers, but to illustrate how current enforcement approaches often fail everyone involved.
The Trafficking Conflation Problem
One of the most serious issues I've encountered is law enforcement's tendency to conflate all escort services with human trafficking, leading to investigations and arrests of people working completely voluntarily.
Last fall, I followed a case involving Lisa, the software engineer I've written about before. Police received an anonymous tip about "suspicious activity" at her apartment—apparently a neighbor had noticed different men visiting regularly and assumed something illegal was happening.
"Six officers showed up with a warrant," Lisa recounted. "They were convinced I was a trafficking victim and kept asking who was forcing me to do this work. When I explained that I chose this work and operated independently, they seemed genuinely confused. They couldn't believe someone with my education and background would choose sex work."
The officers searched her apartment for evidence of coercion—drugs, weapons, signs of confinement—and found none. They discovered her computer science degree, her legitimate day job, and her carefully organized business records. "Finally, one officer asked, 'So you're really just doing this because you want to?' When I said yes, he seemed to not know what to do next."
No charges were filed, but Lisa lost a day of work, suffered significant emotional distress, and now faces ongoing anxiety about future police contact. "They thought they were rescuing me, but they traumatized me instead," she said.
Inappropriate Sting Operations
I've documented several cases where undercover operations targeted escort services that appeared to be operating legally, creating situations where law enforcement essentially solicited illegal activity rather than investigating existing crimes.
Marcus described an experience from last year: "An undercover officer contacted me through my website, which clearly advertises companionship services only. During our phone conversation, I explicitly explained that I provide social companionship—dinner dates, cultural events, business functions. He kept pushing, asking if 'anything else' was included. When I said no, he kept pushing further."
The officer eventually made increasingly explicit requests for sexual services. "I told him multiple times that I don't provide sexual services, only companionship. But he kept offering more money and asking if I was 'sure' nothing else was available. Finally, I hung up because it made me uncomfortable."
A week later, Marcus received a call from a different number—the same officer, trying again with a different approach. "This time he claimed he was referred by another client and that this client had told him 'extra services' were available. When I explained again that this was incorrect, he became aggressive and accused me of lying."
The pattern suggests entrapment rather than investigation of actual crimes. "They weren't investigating illegal activity—they were trying to create it," Marcus observed.
The Discrimination Factor
Perhaps most troubling are the cases where law enforcement responses seem influenced by racial, gender, or class bias rather than actual criminal concerns.
Keisha, an Asian escort working in Brooklyn, described a traffic stop that escalated unnecessarily: "I was dressed up, driving to meet a client for dinner. The officer pulled me over for supposedly speeding, but then started asking why I was 'dressed like that' and where I was going. When I said I was meeting someone for dinner, he asked if it was a 'date' in a way that made it clear what he was implying."
The officer searched her car without permission, questioned her about her income source, and detained her for over an hour while running multiple background checks. "He kept saying things like 'we know what you're really doing' and 'girls like you.' It was clear he'd profiled me based on how I looked and made assumptions about my work."
Keisha was eventually released without charges, but the encounter left her fearful of future police contact. "Now I'm terrified of calling police if I actually need help, because I'm worried they'll target me instead of helping me."
When Victims Can't Report Crimes
The most serious consequence of problematic enforcement is that sex workers become afraid to report actual crimes, making them more vulnerable to violence and exploitation.
"I was robbed at gunpoint last year and didn't report it," admitted Jessica. "The guy took $800 and my jewelry, but I was terrified that if I called police, they'd focus on what I do for work instead of the actual crime. So a violent criminal got away with it."
This fear isn't irrational. I spoke with Detective Maria Santos (name changed), who works in Vice Enforcement, about this challenge: "Unfortunately, some of my colleagues still see sex workers as inherently criminal rather than potential victims. When someone in the industry reports a crime, instead of treating them like any other victim, some officers start investigating their work. It's completely counterproductive."
The result is that sex workers develop elaborate private systems for dealing with dangerous clients, theft, assault, and other crimes rather than involving law enforcement. "We handle everything ourselves because we can't trust that police will help us," said Maya. "That makes us more vulnerable, not safer."
The Hotel Raids
I've documented several cases of hotel raids that disrupted legitimate escort services while finding no evidence of illegal activity, creating public embarrassment and business disruption for people working within legal boundaries.
"Police raided the hotel where I was having dinner with a NYC Asian escort client," described Victoria, who works the luxury market. "They handcuffed both of us, searched our belongings, and interrogated us separately about whether money had exchanged hands for sexual services."
Victoria had been hired to accompany her client to a business dinner and then return to his hotel to review presentations for the next day's meetings. "We were literally working on PowerPoint slides when they burst in. They found business documents, my day planner, and evidence of a completely professional arrangement. But they still treated us like criminals."
The raid was apparently based on a tip about "prostitution activity" at the hotel, but investigators found only legitimate escort services and business meetings. "They disrupted multiple legal arrangements based on assumptions and stereotypes," Victoria noted. "Several clients stopped using escort services entirely after that experience, even though nothing illegal was happening."
The Technology Misunderstanding
Many law enforcement problems stem from officers not understanding how modern escort services actually operate, particularly regarding online advertising and client communications.
"They searched my phone and found my screening messages with clients, then tried to use them as evidence of prostitution," said Elena. "But the messages were about verifying identities, discussing dinner preferences, and coordinating meeting locations. Nothing sexual was mentioned anywhere."
Officers interpreted Elena's professional business communications as "coded language for illegal services" despite clear evidence that her work involved companionship only. "They assumed that any payment for spending time with someone must involve sex, regardless of what the actual communications showed."
The Positive Examples
It's important to note that some law enforcement agencies are developing more sophisticated approaches. Detective Santos described her department's evolving strategy:
"We've shifted focus toward actual trafficking and exploitation cases rather than consensual adult arrangements. We're training officers to distinguish between victimization and voluntary work, and we're building trust with sex workers so they'll report actual crimes."
Some jurisdictions have implemented specialized units with better training on sex work issues. "Officers who understand the industry can tell the difference between someone being exploited and someone running a legitimate business," Santos explained.
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