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GRAND RAPIDS, MI – In recent years, Internet classified sites have ushered prostitution into the digital age. But by taking an increasing percentage of prostitute-and-john contact off the streets, these online introductions are posing a new challenge for Grand Rapids Police.

Anyone can now arrange to meet a prostitute behind closed doors with just a few taps on a smartphone or laptop. This type of private communication is tough for police to get in front of, said Lt. William Nowicki, commander of the department’s vice unit.

PROSTITUTION ARRESTS BY THE NUMBERS

Grand Rapids Police arrests 2008-2012:
2008 – 124
2009 – 107
2010 – 80
2011 – 74
2012 – 97

Other agencies' arrest numbers in 2012:
Grandville – 0
Wyoming – 1
Kentwood – 2
Ottawa County – 0

*Note: The Kent County Sheriff's Department does not track prostitution arrests

“That’s the biggest thing that we’re dealing with, is enforcement of the stuff that we don’t see,” Nowicki said. “A lot of these people who are engaged in this activity are no longer out on the street … In the past year, there’s a ton of sites where if you want to engage in this activity, you can go through it and look for it.”

The vice unit enforces on a complaint-driven basis and through sting operations. Nowicki said residents are adamant about reporting prostitution activity because it’s a blight for neighborhoods and businesses. But no matter how much manpower goes into cleaning up the streets, the Internet offers another avenue for prostitutes and johns.

RELATED: Former Grand Rapids prostitute works to keep women off the streets

For those who are caught, the punishment can be severe.

A first-offense conviction for prostitution is a 93-day misdemeanor. A second offense could result in one year behind bars, and a third offense escalates punishment to two years in prison. People convicted of a fourth offense can spend up to 15 years in prison.

But an online introduction adds an element of secrecy.

Randy Flood

The privacy associated with websites such as Backpage appeal to men who otherwise wouldn’t risk approaching a woman at a street corner, said Randy Flood, therapist and director of the Men’s Resource Center of West Michigan. The center’s services include therapy for men with sex addictions.

Flood works mainly with middle-aged men who are typically established in their careers. The majority of men seeking therapy who’ve used prostitutes have engaged with them over the Internet, he said.

“It has captured more men and created a greater problem than we had years ago because it’s easier to gain access to make arrangements,” Flood said of the Internet. “When they go onto Craigslist and meet call girls or escort services, they feel they can make arrangements to meet at a hotel as a safer, cleaner, less-risky practice.”

Men often believe encounters with prostitutes arranged via online sites lessen the likelihood of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or getting detected by police, Flood said.

“I think some men look at the prostitution or paying for sex hierarchy and look at street prostitution as kind of the low end, with a higher risk of getting caught,” Flood said.

But other men, those desensitized to risk, tell Flood part of the thrill lies in driving the streets. Attorneys and doctors who use street prostitutes when they could afford pricey escort services are drawn to “the risk and the stigma of it,” he said.

And, meetings arranged on the streets are flat-out cheaper, women of the lifestyle say.

"I think the guys that ride down the street more or less are cheap. They're looking for cheap date. They don't want to spend no money … because they know the girls are just looking for a hit," said Debra Wade, a recovery coach at Sacred Beginnings transitional home for women whose past includes trading sex for drugs.

Many prostitutes arrange their own dates without a pimp on online websites, police say. Sgt. Holly Botts of Grand Rapids’ vice unit said call girl and escort services are becoming more prevalent because on the Internet, men and women can be anyone they want to be. And in the last two or three years, advances in technology have made the Internet available to almost everyone.

“Look at smart phones,” Botts said. “Even just texting alone changed the game … You kind of wonder what’s next.”

To contact the Men's Resource Center of West Michigan, call 616-456-1178 or visit menscenter.org

Angie Jackson covers public safety and breaking news for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at [email protected], and follow her on Twitter.