Co-workers shopping online for sex during company time

For most people in King County, 2 p.m. is a time for late lunches or a pick-me-up coffee. It’s also prime time to shop online for prostitutes.

King County prosecutors came across this notable aspect of the local sex trade when diving into online data provided by Google, The Seattle Times reports. Men shop online for sexual services most frequently at that time each day. And the numbers aren’t insignificant.

“The number one hour of the day was 2 p.m.,” King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg explained. “Which means it’s happening at work. Maybe the person next to you at work is on Backpage.com trying to line up a sexual encounter for money after work.”

“It was shocking to everybody,” he added. “But I think it was a wake-up for the business community, too.”

Related: Former prostitute says ‘nothing worse’ than Snohomish County

Nearly 100,000 online searches were conducted for the sexual services in a three week period over last winter, according to a study by the prosecutor’s office. The frequency of those searches peaked at that 2 p.m. time.

In King County, the problem is a considerable one. Local organization, BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking) estimates that 27,000 people solicit sex each day in King County. It further alleges that a majority of surveyed prostitutes claim they have met clients on company properties.

Such revelations prompted a range of public agencies and private companies to join the BEST Employers Alliance.

Related: Everett woman opens sexual slavery shelter in Snohomish

While joining the alliance includes implementing policies that address sex trafficking, the most immediate aspect is the blocking of websites where sex services are offered, such as Backpage.com.

The City of Seattle and King County are among those that have signed on to block the websites. Seattle employs roughly 10,000 people. King County employs approximately 14,000. Altogether, the alliance will block the websites for 125,000 employees throughout King County.

The assumption is that if the websites are being visited at the height of the workday, it is likely that company computers and other electronic devices are being used to access them. The aim is to remove the ability to visit the sex-trafficking sites.

Those websites will now be blocked, not only on county and city devices, but with any member of the alliance.

BEST also reports that out of 104 people charged with purchasing sex from minors in King County, the most common industries they work in are retail, transportation, information technology, manufacturing and construction. The numbers break down as such:

• Retail and Wholesale (14 percent)

• Manufacturing (12 percent)

• Transportation (12 percent)

• Information technology (12 percent)

• Construction (12 percent)

• Professional and Business Services (11 percent)

• Government (10 percent)

• Hospitality (8 percent)

• Other services (6 percent)

• Health and Education (6 percent)

• Financial activities (1 percent)