JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Six women have been arrested in a city-wide prostitution crackdown in Jacksonville.
Three of the women were arrested near Philips Highway, which has been a problem spot for prostitution in Jacksonville. Undercover JSO officers periodically sweep the area for prostitutes.
The arrests happened Monday morning. The women range in age from 24 to 38 years old.
Prel Patel owns the Emerson Inn on Philips near one of the arrests. He said prostitutes can be seen in this area almost every evening.
“It's very bad,” Patel said. “It’s hurting business and hurting customer image of the area.”
Action News Jax Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson says operations like this crackdown are important — but can't stop prostitution.
A woman gets arrested for solicitation … she goes to jail,” Jefferson said. “She gets out [after] 24-48 hours and she's right back at it.”
Action News Jax told you about our investigation two months ago that showed Phillips Highway is a prostitution hotspot because of cheap motels and heavy vehicle traffic.
“We keep requesting JSO [to patrol] up and down the street,” Patel said.
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JSO records show dozens of arrests near Philips, Emerson Street and Baymeadows Road from 2014 to 2016. Many of the arrests involved the same person.
Jefferson says one reason prostitution penalties are so light is because jails are already overcrowded.
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