Over the last few days, the East Palestine Police Department in Ohio has been in the news. Not because they are doing a great job (Spoiler Alert: probably not) but because their latest prostitution sting ensnared a major league sports team owner.
We will not repeat that person’s name here, in a belated attempt to respect their privacy—despite the EPDD and the press showing scant regard for that.
For background: Over the weekend, the EPPD and the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force mounted a prostitution sting operation where they posted fake ads pretending to offer sexual services—and then arrested people who responded. This tactic is known as “catfishing,” and is a classic case of entrapment.
These kinds of prostitution stings are presented as targeting “human trafficking” and “rescuing victims.” Police departments all over the country love these operations, as they can do splashy press releases and rack up arrest statistics. But in reality, when charges are brought, there are often no “victims,” just adults trying to engage in consensual commercial sex.
This focus on policing consensual private behavior is a shocking misallocation of community resources. This is especially true in East Palestine, where residents continue to suffer from the devastating, long-term health and environmental effects of the February 2023 Norfolk Southern toxic train derailment.
The city of East Palestine should be focused on the community’s critical safety needs for health recovery. Instead, the EPPD are devoting significant public resources to policing private adult behavior.
As we noted above, the EPDD’s latest sting is in the news because it ensnared a major league sports team owner; otherwise, the press might not have noticed. But in all likelihood, reporters were tipped off by the EPPD. And they have been having a field day, plastering the individual’s name in headlines, constantly restating the original charge (quickly amended to misdemeanor disorderly conduct), and going into great detail about the circumstances of the arrest (how much money was involved, the location, etc.).
This kind of press coverage feeds into a moral panic and encourages public mockery. It does nothing to improve public safety, but instead invades personal privacy.
This can have serious consequences. Not everyone caught in a sting is rich and powerful. Naming individuals in the news media who have been arrested but not convicted of misdemeanor prostitution charges can result in a devastating “social death.” Being publicly named and shamed can permanently block individuals from accessing safe housing, securing stable employment, and can interfere with parental custody issues. These severe collateral consequences effectively constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
We call on the EPPD and other law enforcement agencies to stop these destructive sting operations.
We call on the news media to stop the associated sensationalized reporting that inflicts extrajudicial, life-destroying punishments on consenting adults.
Maxine Doogan is the founder of the Erotic Service Provider Legal Education and Research Project.
