Oklahoma City is located in central Oklahoma and has a population of approximately 650,000 residents. Prostitution has been a well-documented problem in Oklahoma City dating back at least to the 1970s, and sex trafficking cases have occurred since at least the 1980s and continue through the present. Some cases of local sex trade activity have involved involved child sexual abuse materials (CSAM, often called “child pornography” in state criminal laws). For example, in September 2022, an Oklahoma City man was arrested on prior sex trafficking charges faced an additional set of charges including nine counts of procuring or manufacturing “child pornography,” and one count of possession of “child pornography.” According to court documents, investigators say it started when they began looking into a robbery involving a prostituted person at a motel in October of 2021. During that investigation, detectives learned that the man allegedly organized acts of prostitution for the underage female (and therefore, sex trafficking of minors). At that point, he was arrested for human trafficking, burglary, and aiding in prostitution. According to the documents, he  admitted that he knew the girl’s age and was aware that she was a juvenile. During his arrest, his cell phone was taken, and a forensic analysis revealed 12 pornographic videos and images of the underaged victim. Violence among people involved in prostitution is also well-documented locally, including the homicide of (and committed by) prostituted women.

Oklahoma City has employed a wide range of tactics to combat the demand for commercial sex, which drives all prostitution and sex trafficking. These efforts began in the mid-1970s and many have continued through to the present. For example, in March 2018, the Oklahoma City Police Department arrested 35 men during a sting operation aimed at sex buyers. The  “demand suppression” operation took place from March 26 to March 29, and police said that two metro hotels assisted in the operation.

Oklahoma County (including the city) has been imposing community service on arrested sex buyers (as well as on prostituted women) since 2002. An individual can be sentenced to complete up to 80-hours of community service. Although not often enforced in recent years, Oklahoma County can impose geographic restrictions on criminal defendants, including arrested sex buyers. The restriction bars the individual from being in any of a dozen areas known for the persistent presence of street level prostitution.  The “john school” education program option was dissolved by 2011, approximately, due to a lack of political support and fees set at a level inadequate for the program to be financially self-sufficient or revenue-positive, as are most john schools. [NOTE: Thanks to Brian Bates of JohnTV for providing information in 2014 about fines, community service, and john school as they applied to sex buyers arrested in the city in the 2008-2013 timeframe, and to a representative of the OKPD who completed the survey for the National Assessment]

As is the case in most cities, Oklahoma City police can either charge with state prostitution offenses and refer misdemeanor-level prostitution cases to district criminal courts, or cite with ordinance violations and refer cases to the city attorney’s office. Historically, local prostitution crimes have been handled by the city – treated mostly as a ticket or civil violation. Around 2002, the sitting district attorney requested all prostitution crimes to be given to his office (county prosecutors) so they could pursue the defendants in criminal courts. Since that happened, the state reportedly has recouped far less in fines (the average is only $50) than they did when the city prosecuted the cases (fines ranged between $600-$1,200). Also, when city courts handle the cases, the fine revenue returns to the city which has made the investment in reverse stings that produced the arrests. When cases are handled in the district courts, typically more or all of the fine revenue does not return to the city. In October 2022, a two-day sting produced the arrests of 16 men for soliciting prostitution. According to police officials, the suspects ranged in age from 20-years-old to 84-years-old.

Some arrests of sex buyers are not the result of sting operations using undercover decoys, but instead are the product of investigations or enforcement actions in response to allegations against real victims. In some cases, arrested sex buyers lose their employment, either by resigning or through termination by their employer. For example, in March 2017, an Oklahoma state senator was arrested for abusing a child in sexual exploitation, and soon afterward resigned from the legislature. The man had faced pressure to step down following his arrest, and the state Senate voted to strip him of most of his power, including his ability to serve on Senate committees and author bills. The Senate also took away his office and perks such as his executive assistant and parking space. The Oklahoma Senate cooperated with authorities, including the FBI and U.S. Secret Service in Oklahoma City who had joined the criminal investigation. The man had been charged in Cleveland County with engaging in child prostitution, transporting a minor for prostitution and engaging in prostitution within 1,000 feet of a church. The senator could potentially be eligible to collect his state retirement even if he were convicted, as he was vested in the state’s retirement system after serving six years in the Senate. Oklahoma law allows for the forfeiture of retirement benefits only for certain felony convictions, including bribery, corruption, forgery and perjury.

In October 2000, a man was arrested after he met with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old female with whom he had been corresponding over the Internet, authorities said. The 44-year-old was was arrested at Quail Springs Mall after he allegedly corresponded via e-mail and chat rooms with an undercover detective. The content of the conversation became sexually explicit, and an arrangement was made for the girl and suspected sex buyer to meet at the mall. The suspect was charged with using the Internet to knowingly persuade, induce, entice a minor to engage in prostitution or other sexual activity.

In September 2021, an Oklahoma City police sergeant was fired after he was arrested for engaging in prostitution and assaulting staff at a local massage parlor. An Oklahoma City Police Department administrative investigation sustained 12 allegations against the officer after he was criminally charged by the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office. The allegations began when police were called to a massage parlor located near SW 59th and South Western Avenue, and the suspect allegedly requested through a text message a sex act in exchange for $120. The women reportedly told the suspect that the request was illegal and that they called police. The man then allegedly went into the business and showed his identification card that had “Police Officer” in bright red letters. The women said the officer then became aggressive with them and pushed them into a wall and attempted to get money out of the cash register. In addition to allegedly requesting illegal paid sex, the officer did not provide his name or badge number when the employees asked him, and the officer also abused his power by claiming he was investigating the business and used police dispatch and records for his personal use. The officer was charged with one count of engaging in prostitution and one count of assault and battery. The police department in September released the termination letter the man received from the Police Chief. The termination letter stated the officer admitted to all of the allegations of misconduct. In April, 2023, another web-based reverse sting resulted in the arrest of 10 sex buyers.