Tewksbury, MA
Categories:
Tactics Used |
|
|---|---|
| Auto Seizure | ✓ |
| Buyer Arrests | ✓ |
| Cameras | ✓ |
| Community Service | ✓ |
| Employment Loss | ✓ |
| Identity Disclosure | ✓ |
| IT Based Tactics | ✓ |
| John School | ✓ |
| Letters | ✓ |
| License Suspension | ✓ |
| Neighborhood Action | ✓ |
| Public Education | ✓ |
| Reverse Stings | ✓ |
| SOAP Orders | ✓ |
| Web Stings | ✓ |
Tewksbury is a city of approximately 31,000 residents, situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, near Lowell and Andover. Prostitution, often arranged online, has been reported in the community for decades. Cases of sex trafficking have also been documented locally. Though the majority of their efforts appear to target sexually exploited persons for arrest over sex buyers, local law enforcement has on at least one occasion set up an investigation aimed at intercepting individuals attempting to purchase commercial sex. In December 2015, the Tewksbury Police Department, with the support of the Andover and Methuen Police Departments and the cooperation of a local hotel (who allowed police to use their facility as a staging ground), conducted a web sting targeting male sex buyers. Five men were arrested as a result, after they responded to a decoy advertisement on a website known for commercial sex activity. Soon after their arrests, the identities of the offenders ran in local news reports.
Key Partners
- Tewksbury Police Department
- Andover Police Department
- Methuen Police Department
- Local hotels
Key Sources
Web-Based Reverse Sting, Identity Disclosure:
- “Five ‘Johns’ Charged in Tewksbury Sex Sting,” Lowell Sun, December 24 2015.
- http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/five-johns-charged-tewksbury-sex-sting (2018)
Sex Trafficking in the Area:
- “Randolph Man Charged with Human Trafficking,” Quincy Patriot Ledger, October 1 2013.
- “Jury Trial Begins Tuesday in Human Trafficking Case with Ties to Tewksbury,” Tewksbury Patch, March 30 2015.
- “Massachusetts Man Guilty of Forcing Woman into ‘Sexual Servitude’ for Profit,” Springfield Republican, December 24 2015.
Background on Prostitution in the Area:
- “Police Briefs; Two Lowell Women Arrested in Tewksbury Prostitution Sting,” Lowell Sun, August 15 2006.
- “Prostitution Arrests at Two Tewksbury Motels,” Tewksbury Patch, November 9 2012.
- “Man Arrested on Prostitution Charge at Tewksbury Library,” Lowell Sun, July 18 2013.
- “Five Women Charged with Prostitution at Three Tewksbury Hotels,” Lowell Sun, September 7 2013.
- “Prostitution Suspects Released without Bail,” Lowell Sun, September 11 2013.
- “Three Women Arrested for Prostitution at Tewksbury Hotels,” Tewksbury Patch, March 5 2014.
- “Woman Accused of Soliciting Sex for Money at Tewksbury Library,” NBC/WHDH-TV 7, June 12 2014.
- “Tewksbury Police Make Prostitution Operation Arrest,” Tewksbury Patch, May 11 2015.
- “Drug, Prostitution Arrests at Motel 6,” Woburn Daily Times, June 6 2015.
- “Owner of HK Bodyworks Arrested on Prostitution Charges,” Tewksbury Patch, December 21 2015.
- https://www.wcvb.com/article/woman-charged-with-prostitution-inside-library-2/8039567 (2015)
- http://www.eagletribune.com/police-hotels-talk-about-crackdown-on-prostitution (2017)
| State | Massachusetts |
| Type | City |
| Population | 31388 |
| Location |
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