On Nov. 20, Visalia and Tulare officers conducted a sting operation targeting men who illegally pay for sex. Police did not release details on how they lured the suspects, commonly known as “Johns.”

This sort of prostitution detail is commonly referred to as a ‘reverse sting operation’ because it is not the prostitutes that we directed our attention to, it was the ‘John’ or individual who sought to pay for sex,” Tulare Sgt. Edward Hinojosa said.

The operation was conducted because sex work is believed to be a “main thoroughfare for human trafficking,” particularly in the San Joaquin Valley, Hinojosa said.

(This article has been corrected. An earlier version included a headline stating more than 2 dozen arrests have been made. The actual number of arrests is 13.)

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