On who they are: "Street prostitution accounts for perhaps only 10 to 20 percent of all prostitution, but it has the most visible negative impact on the community.... Street prostitutes have lower status than indoor prostitutes. They are often in some state of personal decline (e.g., running away from abusive situations, becoming drug-dependent, deteriorating psychologically, and/or getting less physically attractive). Most have social, economic, and health problems. Most first turn to prostitution at a young age, often before they are 18."

On the work: "The typical street prostitute works six to eight hours a day, five to six days a week, and has three to five clients a night. Street prostitutes' lives are organized principally around prostitution itself, and around maneuvering through the legal system. It is a cycle of engaging in prostitution, getting arrested, going to jail, paying fines, and returning to the street."

On the money: "The prices for sex acts vary a little from community to community. Depending on how desperate the prostitutes are for money, they typically charge $20 to $50 for oral sex, and $50 to $100 for sexual intercourse. Among crack-addicted prostitutes, the cost can be as low as the market price for a single rock of crack cocaine. The typical sexual transaction takes around 10 minutes in a vehicle (usually for oral sex), and around 25 minutes indoors."

On the number of "johns": "Somewhere around 10 to 20 percent of men admit they have paid for sex, but only about 1 percent pay for sex regularly. While this is still a large number of potential clients, it is considerably lower than some earlier estimates based on flawed research methods."

On AIDS: "Contrary to popular belief, prostitution has not been demonstrated to be a primary means of HIV transmission, at least not in the United States, largely because most street prostitution sex acts are oral rather than vaginal (oral transmission is less likely), most prostitutes insist that clients use condoms (less true of drug-dependent prostitutes), and transmission is more difficult from female to male."

On pimps: "Although classic pimp relationships still exist in both the United States and the United Kingdom, many men with serious drug addictions force their girlfriends into prostitution to support their drug habits.... Many pimps resemble the batterers in domestic violence situations, and women under their control often react similarly to domestic violence victims.... By some estimates, pimps take 60 to 70 percent of prostitutes' earnings."

On violence: "Although most sexual encounters do not involve violence, most street prostitutes report having been criminally assaulted at least once by clients....One study found, however, that women with pimps experienced higher levels of client violence than those without pimps. Women with pimps tended to work in more dangerous areas and take more risks because of pressure to earn a certain amount of money."

The rest of the guide is largely devoted to how cops can best contain and cope with street prostitution. One suggested way is to put less emphasis on the prostitute and more on the client. Among the more effective techniques being used, says the report: publicizing the names and photos of clients in the news media and on the Internet; notifying their employer, school, military unit, or convention organizer; and suspending or revoking their driving privileges. The city of Portland, Ore., has pioneered the use of asset forfeiture against clients by seizing their cars. Most vehicles are returned, but the action has produced some notable results: a striking 1 percent rate of reoffenders.

Still to come from COPS: new guides on drive-by shootings, domestic violence, and convenience store robbery.

Photo Caption: A car slows down for two female police officers posing as prostitutes in Southern California.

Photo Credit: Getty Images