Photo by Steve Fernie

Last weekend, 10 people were arrested in downtown D.C. as part of a “joint prostitution enforcement operation,” according to a Metropolitan Police Department release. The bust was orchestrated by MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigation Division Human Trafficking Unit and the Third District Crime Suppression Team.

Police arrested five adult males and an adult female on Friday, and four females on Saturday. They all have been charged with solicitation of prostitution.

Last summer, MPD officers arrested 78 men for solicitation of prostitution over the course of two weeks. Though the department’s prostitution stings were primarily focused on activity in downtown D.C., at least 10 of those arrests occurred in the Trinidad neighborhood during overnight hours.

At the time, MPD First District Commander Jeff Brown said that enforcement efforts “were focused on the ‘customers’ in reverse style operations,” and the arrests made “a noticeable difference to the community and the enforcement efforts will continue.”

As of today, MPD officers have logged 1,112 crimes of various kinds in the city this year—16 of which involve sex abuse offenses. With an ongoing crackdown on crime, the MPD encourages the public to contact the department with concerns.