http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2008/07/26/6270261-sun.html
By RAYMOND BOWE, SUN MEDIA
BARRIE -- A police sting operation has netted 12 suspected hookers -- including two pregnant women and a grandmother -- in downtown Barrie.
Eleven men alleged to have been paying for sex were also arrested.
Police said many of the men nabbed in Project Dear John are either married, or are in relationships -- one man was hitched just recently.
Barrie police set up the sting following "numerous" community complaints about street-level prostitution downtown. It's the largest prostitution-related sting operation ever undertaken by the city police force.
Street crime unit member Det.-Const. Patrick Brouillard, one of the undercover officers involved, said it was the first prostitution sweep that also targeted johns. It also marked the first time female Barrie police officers had posed as prostitutes.
'LIKE A DRIVE-THRU'
The operation was conducted daily between Monday and Thursday.
"I was not surprised by the number of prostitutes, but by the number of customers," he said.
"At some points, it was almost like a drive-thru scenario."
Police say the suspects were plying their trade in plain view on city streets, in front of businesses and near local parks.
"There's nothing appealing about sitting on a patio for a romantic meal and there's a prostitute standing there and someone driving around the block 40 times waiting," Brouillard said.
The women arrested are from 23 to 50 years old, while the alleged johns range in age from 21 to 67 years old. Some were local men, but others came from outside the city, including places such as nearby Phelpston, Gravenhurst and Markdale.
"They come from all sorts of financial backgrounds. Some of them were guys who'd just finished their labour jobs, others were entrepreneurs or businessmen," Brouillard said.
By RAYMOND BOWE, SUN MEDIA
BARRIE -- A police sting operation has netted 12 suspected hookers -- including two pregnant women and a grandmother -- in downtown Barrie.
Eleven men alleged to have been paying for sex were also arrested.
Police said many of the men nabbed in Project Dear John are either married, or are in relationships -- one man was hitched just recently.
Barrie police set up the sting following "numerous" community complaints about street-level prostitution downtown. It's the largest prostitution-related sting operation ever undertaken by the city police force.
Street crime unit member Det.-Const. Patrick Brouillard, one of the undercover officers involved, said it was the first prostitution sweep that also targeted johns. It also marked the first time female Barrie police officers had posed as prostitutes.
'LIKE A DRIVE-THRU'
The operation was conducted daily between Monday and Thursday.
"I was not surprised by the number of prostitutes, but by the number of customers," he said.
"At some points, it was almost like a drive-thru scenario."
Police say the suspects were plying their trade in plain view on city streets, in front of businesses and near local parks.
"There's nothing appealing about sitting on a patio for a romantic meal and there's a prostitute standing there and someone driving around the block 40 times waiting," Brouillard said.
The women arrested are from 23 to 50 years old, while the alleged johns range in age from 21 to 67 years old. Some were local men, but others came from outside the city, including places such as nearby Phelpston, Gravenhurst and Markdale.
"They come from all sorts of financial backgrounds. Some of them were guys who'd just finished their labour jobs, others were entrepreneurs or businessmen," Brouillard said.
