Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia and government seat of Henrico County, VA. The city has a population of approximately 230,000 residents. It is surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been identified as substantial local problems by law enforcement in the city, and residents have complained to police about prostitution in multiple neighborhoods. For example, in March, 2012, a minister was arrested in a local prostitution sting with his two-year-old child with him during the solicitation. The man was one of 34 people arrested by Richmond Police over a six-day operation. The woman the suspect thought was offering prostitution turned out to be an undercover officer. The man faced solicitation and felony child endangerment charges. During this sting, the department covered the entire city. Every precinct was involved. For example neighbors had been complaining about prostitution activity in the Chamberlayne Avenue corridor. Then, undercover officers headed across the river to areas like Hull Street and Jeff Davis Highway. They also hit other hot spots like Midlothian Turnpike. Police link local prostitution to drug use, larcenies and other crimes.

In 2015, new laws took effect in Virginia that feature more severe consequences for those who profit from prostitution and sex trafficking (sex buyers and sex traffickers), and implemented rehabilitation services for prostituted people and/or victims of sex trafficking. The legislation was effective July 1, 2015, and increases exposure to penitentiary time, dramatically increasing prison time in cases where a juvenile is involved, incorporates the use of multi-jurisdictional grand juries, and adds as a crime the mere recruitment of females into the sex trade.

Since 1990, police have conducted reverse stings resulting in hundreds of arrests of sex buyers. Some of the men are required to adhere to SOAP orders, restricting their presence in areas of the city known for prostitution. Neighborhoods have mobilized against prostitution, including efforts to deter sex buyers. Residents with small children in one neighborhood were finding condoms and syringes in their backyards. To combat prostitution in one area, the West Grace Street Association was formed to patrol the area on foot in the late hours of weekends to deter cruising sex buyers. The North Side Neighborhood Team has pursued similar tactics in order to make sex buyers “uncomfortable” in their neighborhood.

A 1994 city ordinance allowed police to ticket motorists (presumed sex buyers) who passed the same point more than two times in the same direction within a restricted area; fines may reach up to $100. To make the ordinance correspond with state law, the Richmond City Council added a provision that motorists cannot pass the point more than two times in the same direction in a three-hour period, between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. The area must be clearly marked with signs, and the areas to be marked were determined by the city council or the chief of police.

In addition to the anti-cruising ordinance, Richmond installed 12 surveillance cameras as part of an Electronic Neighborhood Watch program to deter all criminal activity and to provide police with investigative information. With funding contributed by the Fan District Association, the city installed six still cameras called FlashCams. When motion is detected (up to 100 feet away), the FlashCam flashes and takes pictures, and it also has the capability to issue a loud digital-voice warning. Another use of cameras was informal: a member of the West Grace Street Association used the flash from a camera to try to deter sex buyers as they drove by.

The city also has a “john school” program, designed to educate arrested sex buyers about the harm to them, their families, and their communities caused by prostitution. The john school description and contact information provided by Commonwealth Catholic Charities is as follows:

Our John School teaches the harm caused by prostitution. You will learn about the impact of prostitution on you, on your family, and in your community. You will explore your personal motivations for paying for sex and develop a prevention plan. The class is facilitated with the help of professionals from the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Henrico Health Department, and The Gray Haven.

Classes are $300 and meet 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. If you are court ordered to attend, your progress is reported to your probation officer. Before enrolling, you need to participate in an assessment with a counselor. Assessments are $60 and scheduled by appointment only.

For appointment and questions call 804.545.5907

Loss of employment is also a consequence of buying sex in the city. For example, in 2013 a former Huguenot High School teacher was one of 26 individuals arrested for solicitation of prostitution and various drug charges, during a web-based reverse sting operation conducted by the Chesterfield County Police, the Henrico County Police Division, the FBI, and ICE. As a result of the former teacher’s arrest, the school immediately placed the sex buyer on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. In addition, a Chesterfield Police Lieutenant reported that officials made calls to the Richmond International Airport and the Defense Logistics Agency regarding employees based out of their groups who were also arrested.