SEATTLE — Seattle city leaders are now sending out what they are calling “john letters.”
These are going to people accused of frequenting certain spots of Aurora Avenue North to take sexual advantage of women.
If a john’s car is often seen along the area of Aurora Avenue from 85th to 140th Streets, then the cops know exactly who they are.
They say the owner of that car will soon get a letter at home or work, warning of major consequences if their participation in alleged sex trafficking continues.
Seattle Police Department Detective Maurice Washington tells us the sex trafficking industry thrives on supply and demand.
“It’s a billion-dollar industry, it’s a 56 billion-dollar industry in the US alone,” Washington said.
He says an increase in johns means an increase in victims.
“95% of these people out along Aurora are being sexually exploited and forced into that; they aren’t choosing it,” Washington said.
This pilot program by the City of Seattle is targeting those johns. Natalie Walton-Anderson with the Mayor’s Public Safety Office said anyone who is seen participating in sexual exploitation will get a letter in the mail.
“A letter sent home or to an employer or to your family saying you were arrested or soliciting sex would deter close to 80% of those people from doing it again,” Walton-Anderson said.
The letter explains that the person isn’t being charged with a crime, but could be if their behavior continues.
“We don’t want persons out there shopping along these streets for exploited persons,” Washington said.
In the month of October, the city sent out at least 21 letters.
“The approach is to address and really reduce the demand,” Walton-Anderson said. “We want to bring awareness and act as a deterrent who come to the city to prey on our vulnerable population.”
Detectives say their goal is to help those who can’t help themselves.
“We are recovering children as young as twelve out there on Aurora who are being sexually exploited,” Washington said.
They tell us this also tackles the increase in violent crime in that area.
“What has followed that is gun violence, drug trafficking, and even organized retail theft; it’s all tied together,” Walton-Anderson said.
Brooklyn Hirst with Fuzzy Buddy’s Dog Daycare said they hope the letters deter at least some of the crime.
“We don’t know what we are going to walk into, whether it be dirty condoms on the porch or streets, drug paraphernalia or needles, stuff like that,” Hirst said.
Washington tells us sex trafficking will always be an issue, but they are doing everything possible to mitigate it.
“You can’t just do this in the dark; we want to bring it to the light in hopes that they will have a second thought about coming to the city and partaking in shopping for sexually exploited persons,” Washington said.
Detectives say this year, they have already arrested 50 people for sexual exploitation, all of whom have been in North Seattle. They tell us six of those people were trafficking minors.