This browser does not support the Video element.
LEYDEN TOWNSHIP, Ill. - More than two dozen men were cited Thursday during an undercover operation targeting individuals looking to purchase sex, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced Friday.
Cook County Sheriff’s Police set up a sting operation along portions of Mannheim Road in unincorporated Leyden Township that are known to be visited by men wanting to buy sex.
During the sting, men would approach undercover officers and offer them money for sex. Each man was then issued a $1,000 citation for violating the Cook County "public morals nuisance ordinance."
In total, 27 men were issued citations. Twenty-two vehicles were also towed under the ordinance, which requires the owner to pay an additional $500 to get their vehicle back.
This year alone, Cook County Sheriff’s Police has fined nearly 200 individuals for trying to buy sex. Thursday’s operation was part of the county’s effort to reduce the demand for sex trafficking.
The county continues to offer services and support to trafficked individuals.