- Joined
- Jun 7, 2016
- Messages
- 107
[h=1]Operation Northern Spotlight: Escorts met by police instead of dates in Calgary hotel room[/h]
MICHAEL LUMSDEN, POSTMEDIA
More from Michael Lumsden, Postmedia
Published on: October 18, 2016 | Last Updated: October 18, 2016 6:06 AM MDT
Holed up in a hotel room close to the international airport, a handful of Calgary police officers and Mounties dig through piles of online escort ads as they prep for Day 2 of Operation Northern Spotlight.
As they make calls to unsuspecting sex workers and set up “dates,” the door knocks.
A woman thinks she is there to meet a customer, a person who will pay her for sex. Instead, she meets the officers, and explains what brought her to their door
“I had a great job, then Alberta’s crisis hit and I got laid off,” she says. “Two weeks later, my husband lost his job as well. The bills don’t stop coming.
“I never thought I’d be here. I never thought I would be having to hide from my family, telling them my cleaning job runs late every night.
“I’m here because this would have been an easy $350.”
She is one of 41 women who met face-to-face with the officers as part of the three-day operation.
Operation Northern Spotlight is a national effort from Canadian law enforcement to get information on women, and men, who continue to work in the high-risk world of the sex trade.
One by one, the officers make the calls. One by one, they hope to entice another person to leave the world’s oldest profession.
“It helps us to identify the vulnerable side of society, who otherwise would be unidentified,” says Det. Paul Rubner of Calgary police’s counter-exploitation unit. “Too often, women are trapped in the cycle of violence and exploitation. This helps us to identify potential victims and provide an exit.”
The women contacted by the operation have very little in common other than the reason they find themselves in front of authorities.
Another knock at the door. This time, it’s a 49-year-old woman with wild hair and wearing a flowery, sheer top.
“I lost my job, and EI can only take you so far, especially if you’ve got health problems,” she says.
She explains, for her, this is a business.
“I have a tax-free savings account, so at the very least I can come out of this with something,”
The women all react differently to the initial contact with the detective. Some are hostile, as they realize the ruse means money has been lost.
Some react in tears, as the stark realization of their situation hits home. A few show relief, as they know help is there for them if they wish to take it.
As the interviews go longer and longer, you can hear a pin drop.
There’s another reason the police want to speak with these women — and it makes the victims’ hair stand on end.
Simply put, the information they give police could be the only way investigators can identify them later if they turn up dead.
“I know it’s scary for you; it has to be,” says Rubner to one of the sex workers. “But think of it this way, you walked into a room where a man had his gun on his belt. I’m a good guy, but a lot of them won’t be.”
This woman appears relieved when the detective comes clean about the call.
“I figured something like this would happen someday,” the young woman says. “I didn’t think it would happen tonight.”
She is a slight blond, not much older than someone you’d see working part-time at the mall after school. She is going to college and says, with the lack of well-paid jobs available, she turned to the sex trade.
While none of these women face charges resulting from this night, 47 people were charged with 135 offences in a sting operation last year while trying to hire sex workers. Legislation states that the women, or men, selling the act of sex will not be charged with an offence, but those buying it will still face a number of possible charges.
“The vast majority of the sex trade is taking place online now, which makes locating and identifying victims that much more difficult because of the anonymity involved,” says Rubner. “From a law enforcement side, it’s almost impossible to locate sex trade offenders, it’s a very labour-intensive effort.”
With the advent of online solicitation, “the stroll” has also become a thing of the past, but it doesn’t mean street sweeps are not part of the overall strategy to help as many victims as possible.
“Traditionally, downtown and the east side, if you’re looking at the street-level activity,” Rubner adds. “The Internet has spread it out and we are dealing with people from every quadrant of the city, and nearly every community within those quadrants.”
As the night comes to a close, there is disappointment among the officers about the one person who got away, a 15-year-old girl they repeatedly tried to reach without success.
“We won’t be giving up, but all we can do is come back tomorrow and try again,” Rubner says.
[email protected]
MICHAEL LUMSDEN, POSTMEDIAMore from Michael Lumsden, Postmedia
Published on: October 18, 2016 | Last Updated: October 18, 2016 6:06 AM MDT
An RCMP member helps log escort advertising information into a spreadsheet format while waiting in a northeast Calgary, Alta hotel on Thursday October 13, 2016. JIM WELLS / POSTMEDIA
SHAREADJUSTCOMMENTPRINTHoled up in a hotel room close to the international airport, a handful of Calgary police officers and Mounties dig through piles of online escort ads as they prep for Day 2 of Operation Northern Spotlight.
As they make calls to unsuspecting sex workers and set up “dates,” the door knocks.
A woman thinks she is there to meet a customer, a person who will pay her for sex. Instead, she meets the officers, and explains what brought her to their door
A partial stack of printed escort ads are shown on top of a bed in a northeast Calgary, Alta hotel on Thursday October 13, 2016. JIM WELLS / POSTMEDIA
Like many Albertans, she says her family was dealt a bad hand by the recession. With no money and few options, she felt helpless. In desperate need for cash, she made a desperate decision. “I had a great job, then Alberta’s crisis hit and I got laid off,” she says. “Two weeks later, my husband lost his job as well. The bills don’t stop coming.
“I never thought I’d be here. I never thought I would be having to hide from my family, telling them my cleaning job runs late every night.
“I’m here because this would have been an easy $350.”
She is one of 41 women who met face-to-face with the officers as part of the three-day operation.
Operation Northern Spotlight is a national effort from Canadian law enforcement to get information on women, and men, who continue to work in the high-risk world of the sex trade.
One by one, the officers make the calls. One by one, they hope to entice another person to leave the world’s oldest profession.
Arrangements for a “date” is shown on a smartphone in a northeast Calgary, Alta hotel on Thursday October 13, 2016. JIM WELLS / JIM WELLS/POSTMEDIA
No charges will be laid this evening. The reason for this operation is far more jarring than a simple fine or charge.“It helps us to identify the vulnerable side of society, who otherwise would be unidentified,” says Det. Paul Rubner of Calgary police’s counter-exploitation unit. “Too often, women are trapped in the cycle of violence and exploitation. This helps us to identify potential victims and provide an exit.”
The women contacted by the operation have very little in common other than the reason they find themselves in front of authorities.
Another knock at the door. This time, it’s a 49-year-old woman with wild hair and wearing a flowery, sheer top.
“I lost my job, and EI can only take you so far, especially if you’ve got health problems,” she says.
She explains, for her, this is a business.
“I have a tax-free savings account, so at the very least I can come out of this with something,”
The women all react differently to the initial contact with the detective. Some are hostile, as they realize the ruse means money has been lost.
Some react in tears, as the stark realization of their situation hits home. A few show relief, as they know help is there for them if they wish to take it.
As the interviews go longer and longer, you can hear a pin drop.
There’s another reason the police want to speak with these women — and it makes the victims’ hair stand on end.
Simply put, the information they give police could be the only way investigators can identify them later if they turn up dead.
“I know it’s scary for you; it has to be,” says Rubner to one of the sex workers. “But think of it this way, you walked into a room where a man had his gun on his belt. I’m a good guy, but a lot of them won’t be.”
An undercover Calgary Police member who wished not to have his face shown waits in a northeast Calgary, Alta hotel on Thursday October 13, 2016. JIM WELLS / POSTMEDIA
The parade of workers continues into a third hour. Now, a fifth knock at the door.This woman appears relieved when the detective comes clean about the call.
“I figured something like this would happen someday,” the young woman says. “I didn’t think it would happen tonight.”
She is a slight blond, not much older than someone you’d see working part-time at the mall after school. She is going to college and says, with the lack of well-paid jobs available, she turned to the sex trade.
While none of these women face charges resulting from this night, 47 people were charged with 135 offences in a sting operation last year while trying to hire sex workers. Legislation states that the women, or men, selling the act of sex will not be charged with an offence, but those buying it will still face a number of possible charges.
“The vast majority of the sex trade is taking place online now, which makes locating and identifying victims that much more difficult because of the anonymity involved,” says Rubner. “From a law enforcement side, it’s almost impossible to locate sex trade offenders, it’s a very labour-intensive effort.”
With the advent of online solicitation, “the stroll” has also become a thing of the past, but it doesn’t mean street sweeps are not part of the overall strategy to help as many victims as possible.
“Traditionally, downtown and the east side, if you’re looking at the street-level activity,” Rubner adds. “The Internet has spread it out and we are dealing with people from every quadrant of the city, and nearly every community within those quadrants.”
As the night comes to a close, there is disappointment among the officers about the one person who got away, a 15-year-old girl they repeatedly tried to reach without success.
“We won’t be giving up, but all we can do is come back tomorrow and try again,” Rubner says.
[email protected]
