Fort Collins online sex sting nets more than 400 responses in one day

In just one day of an online sting to fight human trafficking, Fort Collins Police and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office received responses from more than 400 men wanting to pay for sex.

Fort Collins police and the sheriff’s office posted ads in the escort sections of common classifieds websites in January and received 444 responses from potential clients. Of those responses, 21 people set up appointments and were met by police when they arrived at the hotels.

The police department says prostitution is often connected with human trafficking, illegal drugs, and violent crimes.

“Many citizens don’t believe prostitution or human trafficking is an issue in Northern Colorado. Operations like this indicate otherwise,” Fort Collins Police Officer Rob Knab said in a statement.

Police didn’t identify the men who were met by police but said they were cited. In total, they agreed to pay $2,745 in exchange for sex acts, according to a news release.

Fort Collins police said the goal is to reduce human trafficking by making the city a difficult market for soliciting or selling sex.