413047-Underground-Commercial-Sex-Economy

that we’ve done because when we’ve put the decoy out there and made her younger,
almost all the time, once they have the burden of knowledge of what the age is, they drive
off, that doesn’t mean that they still wouldn’t have done it, but once they have the burden
of knowledge that she was this age, they drive off. So in my experience that tells me that
they’re not preferential offenders looking at kids, they’re just looking to victimize
somebody. … Literally, out of about 30 to 40 people, only two or three actually [took the
bait]. Which tells us that it sounds good in studies, but that’s just not the reality. (Dallas
Law Enforcement Official)
Law enforcement officials noted that the advent of the Internet presented the biggest change in the
dynamics of the street-based and overall commercial sex economy in Dallas over the past decade. Officials
believed that the Internet has shifted many of the adults and minors previously found on the street
indoors. This has resulted in somewhat hiding the prevalence of the issue, as the number of adults and
children visible on the streets has decreased in some areas.
The ages of the individuals trading sex depends on the venue. Officials reported that minors (particularly
ages 14 to 17) are typically found in street-based or Internet-facilitated venues. Older victims (ages 20 to
40) are typically found behind businesses such as erotic massage parlors, brothels, or topless bars.
The characteristics of pimps have changed slightly over time. In the 1990s, they used to be more easily
identifiable by their clothing and cars. During that time, they would host “pimp parties.” The majority of
the pimps uncovered in the Dallas street-based and Internet market are African American males.
According to officials, on average they are about 25 to 30 years old and many have had a father or an
uncle who was a pimp. While older pimps may only be involved in pimping, the younger pimps, referred
to by law enforcement as “tennis shoe pimps” may also be involved in drug sales or a gang.
Although there may be some pimps that are also gang members, law enforcement has not seen a sizeable
or organized connection between gangs and sex trafficking. As one law enforcement official noted,
We’ve seen a couple gangs try it but the problem is with traditional prostitution when the
gangs try it, they can’t. When a pimp gets a girl, his job is to make money off of her, the
sex is just a way to control her and make money. The gangs they get a girl in, they can’t
decide—do they all want to have sex with her, do they all want to do drugs with her, and
generally what they do, is they all do sex with her, they all do drugs with her, and by the
time they’re all done, she’s so messed up, you know they can only make 40 or 50 bucks. I
just think that it’s the whole structure of gangs that why they can’t make that work. We
don’t see a lot of gangs on the kid side—now if they ever figured it out, we’d be in trouble.
(Dallas Law Enforcement Official)
Pimps operating on the street and Internet often travel in a known circuit. Police noted that the circuit
may change depending on law enforcement tactics; that is, when law enforcement beefs up their
investigations and arrests of pimps in one city, pimps start moving to cities with less enforcement.
According to Dallas law enforcement, Oklahoma City has the strongest link to Dallas. Pimps go back and
forth to Oklahoma City and women and girls are either recruited there or come to Dallas independently.
Dallas-based pimps also operate in or originate from Miami, Atlanta, and Midwestern cities, like St. Louis.
If pimps are unable to accompany the women and girls that work for them to the other cities, they
typically send a person that is second in command or their “bottom.” The bottom is typically a woman
who is exploited by the pimp and also involved in recruiting and controlling other women and girls. This
phenomenon presents a gray area in that the woman appears as both a victim and an offender. According
to law enforcement, while they acknowledge this gray area, they take the position that if the woman is
actively involved in recruitment, they will hold the woman accountable and she will be charged.
68