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April 24, 2008
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Memphis PD begin prostitution crackdown
By Hank Dudding
The Memphis Commercial Appeal MEMPHIS — Det. Paul Sherman dressed up Thursday morning like a farmer on the prowl. Clad in a straw hat, a stained “wifebeater” T-shirt and jeans, Sherman, 42, drove a pickup truck and horse trailer all over South Memphis as part of an Memphis Police Department prostitution crackdown dubbed “Operation: Fallen Angel.” The trolling farmer drew more than his share of nibbles, but, he said, “after 20 years, nothing shocks you.” The crackdown was an extension of the Memphis Police Department’s “Wheels for Deals” operation that resulted in 272 chargeable offenses and the seizure of dozens of cars that were used for prostitution. Thursday’s operation got under way at 6 a.m. and featured four teams of five officers. Maj. Joe Scott, who trailed Sherman’s pickup, said, “You have to understand. These people haven’t gone to bed yet.” Pulling a maroon trailer with “Handsome Josie” painted on the back and loaded with hay and two horses, Sherman found that not everybody who flagged him down was looking to sell sex. One woman on Kerr only wanted to pet the horses. As Sherman tooled past the Parkway Inn, 1188 South Parkway East, a woman beckoned to him from an open room, then climbed inside the pickup. After a quick bargaining session, officers pulled them over on College and extracted from the truck a suspect who sported a denim skirt, an Adidas jacket and an unusual amount of cleavage. Although many people consider prostitution a victimless crime, Scott said that’s not so. “The act itself is victimless, but the problems around it aren’t,” he said. Most prostitutes have drug habits, and that’s only the start of it, he said. “If you look at their records, they’re all involved in robbery, they’re all involved in theft,” he said. And, said Lt. Chris Moffatt, people who patronize prostitutes can spread plenty of problems around. “These guys are out picking up girls, and then they’re taking something home to their wives.” By early afternoon. the teams had made more than 60 arrests. “Farmer” Sherman, who’s also the MPD’s undercover coordinator, had a surprise in store for later. “We’re going to switch the horse trailer for a dump truck,” he said. Copyright 2008 The Memphis Commercial Appeal
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