BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Police say the crime is happening everywhere, in every community and every city. They make arrests when they can, but the crime has gone digital and is more accessible than ever.

WIAT 42 News rode along with the Birmingham Police Department’s Vice Narcotics Team as they sent undercover detectives out to arrest prostitutes and the people who hire them.

In two hours, Birmingham’s Vice team arrested three women for solicitation and one man who admitted to paying for oral sex.

The officers told us they never have to search for long because prostitution isn’t hard to find.

“You may not see it, you may not pick up on it, but it’s always going to be around,” undercover Detective Number One said.

Police say the crime is happening not only all over Birmingham, but in just about every community in our area.

“Nicer hotels, hotels up and down [Highway 280],” undercover Detective Number Two said.

“I don’t think there’s a limit. I think it’s everywhere,” undercover Detective Number Three said.

WIAT 42 started looking outside Birmingham’s city limits and called other police departments and found out Homewood police have made 29 prostitution arrests since 2011. Vestavia police arrested 14 people for prostitution last year. And just last month, Hoover police arrested three women in an undercover sting at a hotel on Riverchase Parkway.

“You’re going to see prostitution activity at a $30 or $40 a night hotel, but you also may see prostitution at a $200 a night hotel,” Captain Gregg Rector with the Hoover Police Department said. “So, if you’re a city, and you have hotels you’re probably going to have prostitutes,” Rector continued.

Many prostitutes advertise themselves online and work out of hotels instead of on the streets.

There are several websites that anyone can access without restriction. The sites are filled with ads for escorts from all over our area: Birmingham, Homewood, Hoover, Vestavia and more.

“They’ll say ‘Call me and I’ll let you know which hotel I’m at’ and then they’ll do that and then they’ll say ‘When you get to the hotel, call me and I’ll let you know what room number I’m in,’” undercover Detective Number Three said.

“Most girls really want to go into the higher priced hotels because they don’t want any problems,” undercover Detective Number Two said.

If you’re thinking, “What’s the harm?” police say they’ve heard it all before. They’ve heard that it’s a victimless crime or that it’s between two consenting adults. However, police warn that prostitution is happening hotels where you and your family stay. They say other violent crimes are often associated with prostitution.

“Some women get killed, raped, kidnapped or robbed. And they also rob Johns. So it’s a very dangerous business to be in,” undercover Detective Number Two said.

It’s not just hotels that are affected, though. It’s also impacting the communities where they hotels are located.

The motel where one undercover officer first picked up a prostitute is less than half a mile from Woodlawn High School and just two miles from Barrett Elementary.

In fact, to keep his cover the officer left the motel with the woman he made a deal with and the Vice team made the arrest just outside the elementary school’s doors.

“It is concerning for my kid. That’s my baby, that’s my child. I don’t know how police would control that, but I would not like to see it in front of my child’s school,” one concerned father told us.

It’s not a new crime, but it’s evolved and has taken on a digital life that makes it easier and more accessible. Police tell WIAT 42 they won’t stop making arrests where they can, when they can to try to keep prostitution and the many other crimes it comes with out of your community.

Copyright 2015 WIAT 42 News