Over a dozen people arrested in Glendale prostitution stings

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GLENDALE (CBS 58) -- More than a dozen people have been arrested in a pair of prostitution stings in Glendale.

In a February operation, police officers posed as men looking for prostitutes in an effort to find girls who are potential trafficking victims.

During meetups at hotels on N. Port Washington Rd, eight women and a man were cited for escort without a license.

Police say in giving the citations, they also make resources to help available.

“[We offer] mainly social service agencies that can assist the females get out of this line of work,” said Kelly Dejonge, Glendale’s community outreach officer. “A lot of it is if they want to get out of that line of work then they will access them .”

In a March sting operation, police then got “johns” looking to pay for services.

After posting fake sexual advertisements online, seven men were cited for soliciting a prostitute.

“A situation like this often leads to bigger type of crimes potentially in our city, whether it’s guns or drugs,” Dejonge said.

People who live in Glendale like Karen Ruud say they’ve known for a while illicit activity has taken place at hotels in their city.

"If I ever have family that stay in town, I definitely recommend them not to stay in any of those hotels," Ruud said.

Officers also gave the women who were cited their contact information as another way to offer help if needed.

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