From Sarah Frier:
Twin Rivers detective Margueritte Dias wore big hoop earrings and a low, white tank top. She went by the name "Cici."
She was one of five detectives and deputies Thursday night posing as prostitutes on Watt Avenue so Sacramento County sheriff's personnel could arrest the "johns" -- men who pay prostitutes for sex. By midnight, they'd arrested about 16 men and one prostitute.
Dias' get-up must have been convincing, because a real prostitute approached and warned her that the cops were around, she said.
"I was like, 'Aw, shoot, girl.' " Dias said, getting into character. "We talk a little street talk."
She and others acting as prostitutes were hooked up to microphones so their transactions could be recorded. The johns were arrested once they arrived in a hotel room with the undercover officers.
Problem Oriented Policing operations, under which Thursday's sting operated, have resulted in about 260 prostitution-related arrests during the last year and a half, said Deputy Kate Adams, organizer of Thursday's operation.
The johns are charged with solicitation for prostitution and usually get about 10 days in jail and a fine and have their vehicles impounded, Adams said.
Going after sex customers is tougher than targeting the purveyors, she said.
"With this, we have to staff so many locations for safety," Deputy Thomas Lynn said as he monitored video of the room holding busted johns.
In addition to officers posing as prostitutes, more than 20 sheriff's personnel participated in the operation, making arrests, monitoring surveillance and ensuring the safety of undercover officers. They worked from 8:30 p.m. until 1 a.m., sustained by energy drinks and pizza. An operation targeting prostitutes usually involves about eight officers, Lynn said.
The program was response to complaints from South Watt Merchants business owners who said prostitutes have been using drugs in store bathrooms and keeping customers away, Adams said.
The Watt area is a hot spot for prostitution because of the inexpensive hotels and proximity to a light rail stop and freeways, Adams said.
Looming budget cuts could result in elimination of Problem Oriented Policing, Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran said.
"If they cut POP, this whole corridor is going to go sideways," Dias said.
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