STEUBENVILLE — Law enforcement officials who planned and executed a two-day undercover prostitution sting in Steubenville a week ago say they’re proud of what they accomplished — even if the general public doesn’t quite understand why it was so important.

Ten men — and one woman — were booked for prostitution and possession of criminal tools, the cell phones they’d used to communicate with undercover officers who were posing as prostitutes on sex-for-hire websites and apps.

To date, eight of the men have pleaded guilty to the charges in Steubenville Municipal Court and will each pay fines and court costs totaling $599. Seven of them had to forfeit a combined total of $510 in cash and the eighth gave up a GoPro camera he’d brought with him to his sex appointment. Their 30-day jail sentences were suspended, but they’re on probation for 90 days and any infraction, however slight, could land them in jail. All of them must complete a state-mandated, eight-hour online sex buyer education course.

Three others, including the female, pleaded not guilty and their cases have been scheduled for trial.

But in the immediate aftermath of the arrests, social media posters complained that “they can set a sting house up for booty but not for the drugs that are killing everyone …” Others argued that prostitution is OK because people need the services and flippantly refer to it as “the oldest profession in the book …”

The problem, police and victim advocates say, is that far too many of the men and women nationwide who are selling themselves for sex are neither consenting nor adults.

“People need to understand that a lot of the time it’s not two consenting adults on a website agreeing to have sex,” Steubenville Police Chief Ken Anderson said. “Many of the victims are being forced into these situations. And by going online and purchasing sex, you’re making it harder for them to get out of that situation — you’re putting them in danger.”

Steubenville police and the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force spent months laying the groundwork for the two-day undercover operation, undertaken with support from the Harriet Tubman victim advocacy organization, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and the Jefferson County prosecutor’s office.

Anderson said the task force, launched in 2016, works to expose sex traffickers and bring victims to safety. A big part of its job is to serve as a deterrent to those fueling demand for the sex trade.

“I have yet to meet somebody in this business who wants to be in it,” said Jeff Allen, commander of the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. “Don’t get me wrong, sometimes when you’re interviewing them they’re not very cooperative and stuff like that, but that’s par for the course — they don’t have anybody to lean on and they’re taught police aren’t to be trusted.”

Allen sees it as a case of demand fueling supply.

“The naysayers say cops have better things to do with their time,” Allen said. “But it’s just like with drugs: If there was nobody here wanting drugs, drugs wouldn’t be here — since people want drugs, drugs are here. We’re trying to reduce the demand (for prostitutes) to reduce the supply, that’s what we’re after.”

Steubenville’s 11 arrestees included a nurse, a steelworker, a construction worker, a culinary supervisor, a machine worker and a coal miner.

“I think people maybe have a picture in their head of what people who use the sites are supposed to look like, and it’s not necessarily accurate,” Anderson said. “They’re husbands, they’re fathers, they’re professionals … they’re everyday people, but they are also people who go online and use apps for one purpose, and that’s to purchase sex.”

And, Laurie Bartchak, co-founder of the Harriet Tubman Movement, said a life of prostitution “is certainly not somebody’s dream job,” pointing out those engaging in it typically don’t have a lot of other choices.

“They’re forced into it, whether it’s by a person or addiction or some other factor, and there’s usually a third party to it all who’s … making money off them (performing sex acts), she said, pointing out traffickers are experts at identifying the vulnerable — men and women who’ve experienced childhood trauma as victims of child sexual abuse, those with mental illnesses ranging such as low-self-esteem or PTSD, anxiety or bipolar disorder — and then exploiting them.

“What we see most of the time is that person knows their trafficker,” she said, pointing out it’s not uncommon for them to be trafficked by family members, a “perceived boyfriend” who convinces them to sell sex “just until we can get on our feet” or telling a girl “she’s his favorite, even though he has four or five other girls working for him.”

Bartchak said statistically, Ohio ranks between fifth and 10th in the nation in terms of sex-for-hire reports.

“I think the reason why there’s so many reported cases is that we actually are doing a fairly decent job of making people aware of what it looks like,” she adds.

“People will ask. ‘Why don’t they just leave?'” Bartchak added. “Well, the same vulnerabilities that got them into (prostitution) keep them in it. They’re stuck because they don’t have a good support system, they don’t have a good job history, they don’t have first- and last-month’s rent for a security deposit because they don’t even have their own money and they don’t have a good credit score.”

She also points out that men and women in prostitution often have to do more for their traffickers than just sell sex.

“They’re also stealing stuff, they’re hauling his drugs, they’re putting the cars he uses in their names so if they get caught, they (are charged) with the crime and the guys are untouchable,” she continued.

Anderson said one of their goals was to raise awareness sex trafficking and help victims get out.

“So many of them are coerced or forced into prostitution,” he said. “People think prostitution is victimless, but it’s not as easy as them just saying, ‘OK, I’m not going to do this anymore’ because so many of the victims are addicted to drugs or in abusive relationships or have mental health issues. They have all these obstacles to overcome.”

And he said it was a chance for his officers to see firsthand the months of careful preparation that go into an effective undercover operation.

“It was very important for us to get that understanding of the level of preparation and what we need to do and how we can do it better, that’s why we needed to bring (the task force) in,” he said. “They’re one of the best and most respected task forces for human trafficking investigations in the Ohio, so the fact that we were able to work with them and they were willing to come down here and help us out, I think, was extremely important.”

He said they can apply the techniques the task force used in setting up the sex sting to any undercover operation.

“And when you see departments across the country, but especially in this area, experiencing staffing issues, it’s important now, more than ever, that we work together, that we share information and resources, and we all work together to serve and protect our communities. It might sound corny to some people, but we’ll gladly reach out to ask for assistance from any department or task force, whether it’s local, state or federal. If they can help us protect our citizens and our city, we’re certainly going to take advantage of that opportunity. And we’ll be available to help them as well.”

Anderson also said he’s “proud of our officers and the work they put into this to make it happen — they are so hardworking and professional.”

Sgt. Ryan Lulla, who coordinated the department’s involvement in the investigation, said there’s a lot to feel good about.

“There’s more to it than just this idea that we’re just looking for lonely men or whatever,” he said. “They might be out there (prostituting) because they’ve been forced into it, because there’s a drug problem involved or they owe someone money. In some circumstances, people are putting their families out there, including their children. (And) you can’t ignore that there are surrounding crimes with prostitution … the drugs, physical abuse, sexual abuse. People have been robbed, they’ve been beat up, they’ve been assaulted … that’s just the life that surrounds prostitution.

Lulla also said the interagency cooperation was impressive.

“The task force helped out in a lot of ways,” he added. “The manpower they provided helped us keep road officers available while this was going on. And this being the first of this type of operation that we’ve done, the experience and insights they provided were immeasurable. There were a lot of moving parts, and it shows what can be accomplished when agencies work together.”

Municipal Judge John Mascio, meanwhile, said he recently underwent training given by Ohio Attorney General David Yost, who oversees the state’s sex trafficking initiative. He said Yost’s underlying message is that “buying sex results in the harm and exploitation of others. Holding buyers accountable for engaging in prostitution is crucial to shifting buyers’ behavior, changing societal attitudes and fostering the understanding that prostitution is not a victimless crime.

“This operation by law enforcement was all part of the attorney general’s efforts to curb this behavior,” he added.