Las Vegas NowI-Team: Undercover with Metro Vice

I-Team: Undercover with Metro Vice

It's a Tuesday night and an undercover police officer is trolling for sex on the streets of Las Vegas. The john is a highly trained member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's Vice Squad.

A lot of people think prostitution is a simple equation for a simple crime -- sex equals money. But the more they learn about fighting prostitution, an intelligent, calculated pattern begins to appear. It is a constant game of give and take, territory gained, then lost again.

It starts with people you wouldn't even peg as cops.

Vice Lieutenant Karen Hughes says the focus now is on the more nefarious activity -- the trick roll or robbing a john blind with violence or drugs. "You've got a very vulnerable and exposed victim, why wouldn't you steal $1,000 if he's left it unattended after he's passed out?" she said.

So it's up to undercover officers scoping for girls and making arrests. Officers pose as regular guys looking to party, hitting the casino floor playing a part. "They're just like flies. They swarm to the bar and they know who to look for," said an undercover officer.

Undercover officers have a little bit of leeway to act like frat guys, out-of-towners, or even foreign tourists. That's actually where vice is seeing a big pickup in crime. Prostitutes are targeting foreigners, knowing Clark County is not going to pay to bring victims back just for a trial.

The officer knows the stakes have never been higher for prostitutes. The weak economy has forced them to turn more tricks or turn to crime to make the pimp's quota. "If she's going to make $200 for oral sex, or she can make $5,000 for stealing your Rolex, pawning it, it's just a lot easier for her," said the officer.

It's an ongoing battle for Metro. The tactics are always changing, but the game remains the same - vice for a price.

Last year, trick rolls spiked with 221. So far this year there have been just 78, so the valley is on pace for a big decrease. The hope is to put more pressure on pimps to back off violence and slow the sex trade in the streets.