ROBSTOWN, Tx — Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez said the department has seen an increase in the number of prostitutes walking in the area, and that this illegal activity could also lead to sex trafficking.
Tamez talked about a new way his department is working to help put a stop to what some called the world’s oldest profession.
“People do not just live here, they come in from out of town and they target these areas, they try to target all these areas around here because they are like, well nobody is going to say anything about it,” Yvette Villalobos, a Robstown resident said.
Villalobos said some of the areas in Robstown that are prone to have some illegal activities going on can be those areas with those living in low income.
“When you have low income around the area, they are more subjective with these kinds of things,” Villalobos said.
Some of those illegal activities Robstown Police are looking to put a stop to are prostitution and sex trafficking.
Last week, Robstown Police conducted an undercover investigation targeting this, and in that investigation, six women were arrested and charged for prostitution.
Tamez said these women were solicited by these officers through social media.
“They were able to get into the hotel rooms, two of the five had drugs on them, penalty group one drug, which is usually cocaine, meth, heroin, or fentanyl, and five out of the six had warrants for their arrests,” Tamez said.
Tamez added this is a serious issue which is why they want to attack it because this often also leads to sex trafficking.
“There is always an opportunity for sex trafficking when it comes to prostitution, sometimes they are not doing it at their own free will, and they are being sex trafficked, so this is a great opportunity for us to pinpoint those folks for us and see if we can offer some help,” Tamez said.
Tamez said the Killeen Police Department guided them through this undercover investigation.
Robstown Police Department’s main focus now is not just to arrest these prostitutes, but to get them to help and off the streets this way they won’t fall into the same habits, Tamez said.
Which is why Robstown PD is now working in hand with The Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, Tamez added.
“A lot of them turn into that lifestyle to support a drug habit, which is what some of the ones were arrested that night for,” Tamez said. “So, if it gives us an opportunity to help them with social services, we definitely offer those every single time.”
Villalobos said that oftentimes times people who fall into prostitution need some guidance to fall out of it.
“Maybe they do not have anybody to reach out to and say I need someone to show me the way, I need somebody to help guide me they do not have supervision at home, they do not have people that are there to say you do not have to do this to your body,” Villalobos said.
Rolando Samaniego, another Robstown Resident said he hopes these operations continue to clean up the city.
“If they are out in the street, then they need to be caught, so they won’t give the kids any ideas,” Samaniego said.
Tamez is planning for his officers to conduct more undercover investigations.
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