Las Vegas business owner speaks out as prostitution spikes 267% on Tropicana Avenue

Las Vegas (KSNV) — Tom Massey has owned a business on West Tropicana Avenue for more than 20 years.

It’s an area well known to police for prostitution.

“It’s cyclical. It goes up and down,” says Massey. “There’s one (prostitute) that’s probably been out here for five or six years.”

The area falls under the Spring Valley Area Command where prostitution statistics are up a whopping 267% from the same time last year.

“Certainly, it’s a concern but frankly I don’t see that much more during the daytime hours when we’re here,” says Massey. “We see it every day but not that much.”

According to police, those stats are all about enforcement.

Other key increases in prostitution, Downtown Area Command up 102%, and Convention Center Area Command which includes the Strip, up 22.5%.

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“Every pro-active investigation we go into we want to target the trafficker,” says Deputy Chief Nick Farese.

He says 84 accused pimps have been arrested so far this year.

“If you look at those numbers Spring Valley Area Command has a significant increase that is because we’re combatting human trafficking, (Metro is) looking at those massage parlors that we know are a safe haven for victims to be forced into sex trafficking and labor trafficking,” explain Farese. “We’ve been stepping up enforcement efforts into massage parlors.”

Farese says an awareness campaign just before the Super Bowl helped.

Community partners help train hospitality workers on what to look for if they suspect human trafficking.

Farese says it’s a myth most sex workers are in the business by choice.

“They’ve been beaten they’ve been starved they’ve been held captive,” he says. “These people aren’t doing this willingly it’s not until we change that mindset and take this victim-centered approach and really go after the traffickers that we can make an impact on our society.”

In April alone, 70% of the sex workers contacted by Metro were open to receiving some type of services, whether it’s shelter, food, or clothing.

Whatever they need to escape that life.

“Once a month we do stand-down events, “ says Farese. “Where our proactive teams that are going out looking for these victims bring a heavier package of wrap-around resources, and we don’t arrest.”

As for Massey, he’s part of the Tropicana Business Community Coalition.

They are a group that formed more than 10 years ago to address issues along Tropicana from I-15 to Decatur, including prostitution.

“We meet bi-monthly with Metro, with the county and welfare agencies,” he explains. “It (prostitution) may be up in terms of arrests because of enforcement but it’s cyclical.”