HOUSTON — For the 50th consecutive year, Houston will host the Offshore Technology Conference at NRG Park.
The annual conference kicked off Monday and draws more than 60,000 visitors.
Houston Police said they are happy to have the tourists in town, but they’re also warning against trying to purchase sex in the city.
The conference is a huge boom to Houston.
“Yes, the adult entertainment clubs will be a little more crowded, we understand," said HPD Vice Commander Jim Dale. "Normally we have predominantly males from all over the world coming into this city, and although we like it and we want them to be here, we want to let them to know just don’t purchase trafficking in Houston – or sex trafficking in general in the city.”
Houston police said their vice officers are in full force this week while the conference is in town. They’ve made hundreds of arrests during this same time period in the past two years.
Police said they’ll be looking for visitors soliciting prostitutes as well as sex trafficking victims.
Inside the convention, there’s a booth with educational materials warning attendees about sex trafficking.
Commander Dale said once they have identified prostitutes, they’ll be looking for clues to determine if they’re sex trafficking victims or women looking to make money on their own.
"Enjoy your time here in the City of Houston, just don’t purchase sex and you’ll have a great time," he said.
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