"You looking for a short stay, an hour? About a half-hour, I can do that for $60," "Erika" says over the phone.

The john on the other end agrees, but that's not the end of the deal. As it turns out, "Erika" is Detective Kim Lippincott of the Monroe County District Attorney's Office, and the man on the other end of the line is about to get a talking-to."Actually, sir, my name is Brian Webbe, I'm a detective with the Monroe County District Attorney's Office," Webbe says after Lippincott hands off the phone. "The person you were just talking to was actually an undercover police officer. I'm sure you're aware that prostitution is illegal, as is purchasing or soliciting a prostitute."Friday's web-based prostitution sting operation started with some sexually explicit advertisements on backpage.com, listed under the 'Dating' section of the site. The ads were posted at 8 a.m., and by 1 p.m., "Erika" and "Jessi" had received over 60 calls. However, the listed numbers for "Erika" and "Jessi" actually went to the Monroe County detectives' phones. A "menu" provided pricing for a variety of acts.Those who stay on the line and spoke with Webbe were given something of a free pass, as they won't be prosecuted. He even made it known that media outlets will be privy to their identity if they did happen to get busted, which applied more pressure.The hope is to curtail the demand for prostitution in the area with a stern warning and some education."Normally, we do large scale prostitution stings, where we arrest 12 people at a time. This is a little different," Lippincott said."The goal is to reach as many people as we can, and deter them from doing this. If you talk with them and say, 'Hey, you were lucky this time, but you might not be lucky next time,' they might not ever do it again, because they're afraid."Webbe said that many prostitutes are either victims of sex trafficking or drug addiction. Those who partake in paid-for sex are actually contributing to the demand and the numerous problems that come along with the territory.While Lippincott played the parts of "Erika" and "Jessi," Webbe would attempt to dig up online information on the johns."When we really personalize it with them, when we say, 'We know who you are, we know you have a wife and kids,' it really changes the impact it has," she said.Even if the john happened to hang up, their phone number was logged for any future busts. In that case, the detectives wouldn't be as willing to give the man in question a pass.Requests throughout the sting ranged from the fairly domestic to the fetishistic. One john even attempted to solicit a deal by paying in marijuana, adding another layer to his crimes.While the john-busting was in progress, Detective Mario Orlando was working on the other end of the prostitution issue."My part of this operation is reaching out to the prostitutes, pretending to be a john, and after speaking with them for a little bit, finding that they're actually soliciting sexual acts for money, I give the phone over to Kim Lippincott or Kim Checkeye. They talk to them to see if they're trafficking victims," Orlando said.Checkeye said that under normal circumstances, the District Attorney's Office will request help from her group, Truth for Women, in order to get immediate help after a prostitution bust.The sting required a slightly different approach."We own and operate a residential therapeutic home for victims coming out of sex trafficking, so as Mario is connecting with the women, he'll have me talk to them afterward to see if they need assistance or help in order to get out of the life," she said.Unfortunately, Checkeye pointed out, women will often hang up or refuse help, due to a pimp being in their immediate presence, along with the threat of violence.However, Truth for Women does offer a variety of services, including housing, which can help women get out of sex trafficking.While the nearly continuous sound of ringing phones clearly showed that Monroe County has somewhat of a prostitution problem, the detectives are hopeful that this sting, along with future efforts, will cut the market down, and help to rehabilitate women in need."Our goal is to deter them from doing this, stop the demand for prostitution in Monroe County, and get the awareness out there that we are actively seeking people who are trying to hire prostitutes," Lippincott said.