Twenty "johns" were arrested Thursday during a saturation effort to crack down on prostitution around North Temple.
From about 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., female police officers decoyed as prostitutes near 700 West and North Temple, said Salt Lake police spokeswoman Lara Jones.
Although officers patrol the area daily for prostitutes, Jones said this was just the second concentrated effort this year. It was the result of complaints from residents and business owners of an increasing problem in the west downtown area. North Temple and State Street specifically have become problem areas for prostitutes walking the streets.
In addition to being arrested on charges of prostitution solicitation, one man was arrested Thursday for investigation of cocaine distribution.
As of Friday, Jones said the vice squad had arrested about 300 men and women this year in prostitution stings, with the majority of arrests concerning people looking for prostitutes.
— Pat Reavy