While I was perusing weekend arrest digests from the District’s police listservs last night, I noticed that there had been a uncommonly large number of arrests on prostitution charges in Petworth on Saturday night. 12 people were arrested and charged with solicitation around the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Taylor Street NW between 9:09 and 11:57 p.m. that evening. It’s an area that, according to Lieutenant John R. Haines of the Fourth District Vice Unit, police have had their eyes on for some time. “In a very short time, we were able to identify and arrest several female suspects in the area and charge them with prostitution-related offenses,” said Haines in an email explaining the bust to the MPD-4D listserv. “Then, we deployed several undercover officers (female), posing as potential prostitutes in order to target the ‘Johns’. Over the next several hours, we were able to arrest several subjects and charge them with prostitution-related offenses as well.” Haines called the sting “very effective” — with 12 arrests made in a little over four hours, its hard to argue with that assessment.