The HTU/Prostitution Unit has been operating and doing stings on both johns and their tricks for years including in the Lanier era and well before. Hotels and citizens have for years requested the stings because many didn’t want street walking or organized call girls in their communities and businesses. Areas on 14th Street, K Street and Eastern Ave can be hotbeds of violence most of which we see is prostitute on prostitute violence. The client on prostitute violence mostly goes unreported. The transgender groups often get hyper violent against each other (I.e. between Baltimore and local TGs) and will shoot, stab and rob others. Johns often report random ‘robberies’ that they claim aren’t prostitution but after some prodding usually cop to what they’re up to.

HTU is a detail like any other and some people get tapped because they do a good job being a UC. Others get picked when they open up spots in the unit or rotate people in and out. For years they would do 90 working day details and it was a good break for people or a springboard to Vice, CST or NSID. They wouldn’t always do operations and sometimes got moved around like GRU and Strike Force to do some kind of directed patrol depending on the needs of department. People doing operations would often rotate because you don’t want to run the same person as the UC all the time lest they start getting made.

I’ve never known anyone who fucked any prostitute and don’t know who would- AIDS and other diseases are so rampant it’s like Russian Roulette. Usually that’s the domain of crooked beat guys and I don’t know anyone who would cover up actual fucking. Some of the stuff like exposing yourself is gray area in practice. 99% of the busts are usually just graphic request followed by the team sweeping in.

Disclaimer: Never did the detail but know plenty of cops who have of all stripes (gay and straight)