The Sting: On the night of Sept. 23, a female officer from the Tampa police department was assigned to the area of Nebraska Avenue and Clifton Street in an effort to "combat prostitution." Wearing "a pink tank-top, jean shorts and pink/white flip-flops," the officer was in for a busy evening. Here's a sample:
7:52 P.M.: The officer was approached by a man in a "Toyota two-door vehicle," who rolled down his window and "immediately stated, 'What's your price?'" "What?" the officer replied, to which the man responded, "I only have $10." She asked what he wanted, he stated, "A blow," and she gave the signal to have him arrested. Very simple.
8:08 P.M.: Shortly after 8 o'clock, the officer's evening took a turn toward the icky. She was summoned to the window of a pick-up truck driven by a horny white male. The officer asked what he was looking for, to which the man stated, "I want to get inside you." The officer asked, "You mean sex?" Per the report, "he stated, 'Yeah,' and he smiled while he rubbed his penis through his pants." Unfortunately for the suspect, all hopes of getting off now rest with his lawyer.
8:13 P.M.: Two guys in "a red 4-door vehicle" whistled at the officer. The officer walked past them and continued up Nebraska Avenue because, as she states in the report, "I was attempting to walk to one of our undercover vehicles, as I had just made a case on an unrelated defendant." The guys followed her, pulled into a nearby parking lot and one of them again attempted to signal the officer, this time by waving and yelling. The officer told the men to go away, as "the police were right up the street," and walked away again. Absurdly unable to take a hint, the men in the pickup circled around and stopped the officer again, now in the parking lot of a hotel. The third time was the charm: The officer went through the usual haggling, gave the signal and had the men taken into custody.
8:40 P.M.: A nervous man in a red car pulled up and offered $20 for sex. He was quickly arrested. (He should have paid more attention to those nerves.)
9:00 P.M.: A man in a black four-door vehicle pulled up and offered $20 for sex. This man, too, was arrested.
9:49 P.M.: Finally, an excited gentleman called the officer to his car, stating he had $20 before she could get to the window. Asked what he wanted, "He emphatically stated, 'Sex!'" Not tonight, sir.
From the files of the T.P.D.
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2005.