A Carrollton police officer was arrested in Plano this week on charges of soliciting a prostitute.
Sgt. Muszaab Monier was taken into custody at about 2:30 p.m. on February 19 and booked into the Collin County Jail. Monier has been with the force since 2021. The arrest happened near the 2500 block of Central Expressway NB, according to NBC 5 DFW.
Monier was off-duty at the time of his arrest. The officer has been placed on administrative leave, and no further details have been made available.
Plano has recently seen several high-profile instances of prostitution. In December 2023, federal authorities with the U.S. Justice Department broke up a sex trafficking ring. They arrested three men on charges of trafficking by use of force or coercion, according to a report by NBC 5.
In August 2023, Plano police announced the arrests of 15 men on charges of soliciting prostitutes, per reporting by Local Profile. The arrests, which were effected on various days, indicate a surge in sex crimes in the region. Later that same year, police began an investigation into an alleged prostitution ring being run out of a massage parlor in the city, reported Fox 4 KDFW at the time. That investigation appears to be ongoing.
In Dallas, there have been 33 reported prostitution offenses year to date, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Last year, there were 573 reported prostitution offenses in Dallas, a 99% increase over the previous year.
District 6, represented by Council Member Omar Narvaez, consistently sees the highest number of prostitution charges, according to the City’s crime data.
Crime is particularly rampant in Downtown Dallas, especially compared to neighboring Fort Worth’s city center, monthly reports by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association show. Fort Worth’s downtown area is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security guards.
However, the DPD has been hampered for several years by a shortage of police officers. A city analysis indicates that Dallas should employ about 4,000 officers to better ensure resident safety, but currently staffs about 3,000.
The issue has been exacerbated by limited funding, as city council members voted to fund the Dallas PD at lower levels than other high-crime jurisdictions such as New York City and Los Angeles, allocating just $654 million to fight crime in Dallas.
