LE's interest in prostitution probably is weighted heavier than it should be in comparison to rape, murder, but some general thoughts, with Texas in mind, since i live there:
LE's interest appears to actually focus on two areas:
1. Streetwalkers and their customers.
* Why you ask? These are visible to the general public. Streetwalkers are also generally involved with drugs, so a two for one approach here. Take a streetwalker and her john off the street, and you hit a sex crime and a drug problem with one arrest. A lot of these participants are also involved in other crimes, these are low fruit on the tree. No one will realy get upset with their arest, where as to find out the neighbor was running a service from her home will reduce property values in the neighborhood. Removing streetwalkers may actually inprove property values.
2. Any business where 2 or more are getting together provide services. These include AMPs, strip clubs, studios, etc.
* Why you ask? Again, more visible, more likely to get more than one at a time, etc. Voting public does not want these establishments around.
3. Call it profiling, call it whatever you like, most prostitution arrest are for people that society would consider cast offs, homeless, etc., many times belonging to what we normally would consider the lower classes of society.
Now, when I use the term "LE" it may mean actually many things. In order to attack these issues, many tactics are used:
- Zoning regulations
- Health department regulations: A large number of AMPS have been shut down for failing to have registered massage techs, for instance. Strip clubs for zoning regulations or something other than prostitution laws.
If you search this site for prostituion arrest, I think you will agree that most of the arrest are for streetwalkers and their johns. rarely do you see a mugshot of anyone that you would expect to be on either side of the door when you opened it for a visit.
http://texas.mugshotlist.com/