Police arrested eight people soliciting sexual favors in an undercover prostitution sting Wednesday evening on Madison's south side.
Six men, one woman and one 17-year-old male were arrested when they attempted to procure paid sex from an undercover female officer in the Cypress-Magnolia neighborhood near Park Street and the Beltline Highway.
The sting, which took place in the early afternoon and continued into the evening hours, involved officers from the Madison Police Department as well as Dane Country Narcotics and Gang Task Force.
\These stings take a significant amount of resources,"" said Madison Police Officer Tom Gross, who has been on numerous sting operations. ""Often, the undercover female officers are placing themselves at great risk. Some guys are violent, both physically and sexually, and we need extra personnel for surveillance and protection.""
Local business owners and residents alerted police to the increased amount of prostitution in the area. According to Gross, many of the prostitutes are addicted to crack cocaine and have psychological issues, making them very aggressive.
John Delamater, a human sexuality professor at UW-Madison, agrees the street walkers are often at a distinct disadvantage compared to the rest of the sex industry.
""I know many women who worked their way through UW as a sex worker or as part of an escort service,"" he said. ""It is an easy and discreet way to make money and to pay tuition. However, the psychological effects can be very hazardous. Often the job is very stressful, and the more customers a girl has, the worse it is usually.""
Gross said police usually arrest the prostitutes rather than the johns, but in this case the police wanted to try and deter future customers.
""There's usually a stigma attached to being arrested for prostitution,"" Gross said. ""Guys aren't going to brag to their buddies that they were just arrested for prostitution, compared to other charges such as disturbing the peace.""
However, Gross stressed prostitution in Madison is not a big problem, making it easier just to take the prostitutes off the street.
""When you have the choice of arresting all 25 prostitutes on the street or trying to arrest all 2,000 potential male customers, we'd prefer just to take the girls off the street and get them some help.""
