When you listen to Michelle’s story, remember that anyone under 18 who is involved in the commercial sex industry is legally defined as a sex trafficking victim who should be rescued, not abused by or alienated from, the police.

Transcript:

T: Have you ever had the cops have sex with you?

M: Oh yes. Prison- prison cops and regular cops, off duty cops.

T: With the off duty cops was it like, consensual?

M: Oh yes.

T: OK. And what about in prison?

M: It was as clients

T: but you were in prison at the time?

M: No

T: Oh, they were just clients?

M: They were all clients- off duty cops, prison cops.

T: Don’t you screen for that? You know you can go on their website and run the name.

M: you know you screen for it, But the fact is that when I was first in the industry you couldn’t screen for that shit.

T: Yes

M: That shit wasn’t ready available.

T: Right

M: So when you walked in on a call you never knew who you were meeting.

T: Were any of them vice cops?

M: Yes

T: I know there’s somebody that I see now he’s like talking about the prostitution stuff all the time. He used to be a client, I’m like oh my god.

M: The funny thing is, one is a cop who is now in jail. Anthony Rollins- I grew up with him. He’s in prison now for having sex with sex workers.

T: Yes, but not consensualy, not as a client.

M: But there were a lot that he had it consensualy with. you know- flash the [squad car] lights. Those girls will do anything to get out of it [arrest]. So…

T: So have you ever had a situation like that?

M: Yes.

T: So you consented but it was so you wouldn’t go to jail?

M: Yes

T: Will you tell me about it?

M: Well, it was when I was younger and I was living on the streets. when I was younger Bernard (street) was the place to walk and cops always pull you over, stop you, ask you what you are doing. And when I just happened to be getting out of a car and a cop flashed his lights at me. He got out. He asked me for my name, asked me for my ID and at this point I didn’t even have a driver’s license. That’ll tell you how long how young I was, I think I was 16 and he was like “you know I can book you”, and he’s like “there’s ways that we can do this so that I don’t take you to jail, and being as young as you are, you don’t want to go to jail”. Being 16 you never know. He’s like “so you do me a favor, I do you a favor”. And his thing was, he wanted a blow job to let me go. 16? not wanting a charge? its what you give him. And they know that’s the way they can scare the girls.

T: So… after that happened, did you ever think of the police after that as somebody that you could go to for help?

M: Never. Because if it was somebody that was driving down the street, more than likely they’re either going to bust you or want you to do them a favor. Or, they were just never nice. One way or another you were going to end up in a bad place.

T: Yeah. Do you know what that cops name was?

M: Yes

T: Do you know if he’s still around?

M: I don’t.

T: It was in Anchorage?

M: Yeah, it was Anchorage P.D.