Q&A with Det. MATTHEW PROKOSCH

From public sex acts, ongoing prostitution, gambling and underage drinking and smoking, the Glendale Police Department's Vice Detail handles it all. Det. Matthew Prokosch, 34, along with another detective and a sergeant, make up the detail, and works a beat that requires patience and an open mind to deal with the city's most seediest and bizarre crimes.

Veronica Rocha: So, what are some of the operations you do in Vice Detail?

Det. Matthew Prokosch: We do a lot of John stings, that's when we have undercover female police officers posing as prostitutes and walking the streets. They get approached by John's, or male clients, and if a violation of 647(b), which is prostitution — agreeing to engage in a sexual act in exchange for money — occurs, we arrest them. We also do prostitution stings, where we focus on prostitutes staying in the city of Glendale, operating out of Glendale, and we go undercover acting as customers ... We also have a lot of [Alcohol Beverage Control] code violations. We do a lot of checks of establishments with ABC licenses, making sure they are up to date and current with the laws and regulations of ABC.

Q: So, did you ever think that you would one day be posing as a John, dealing with prostitutes and going undercover at illegal massage parlors?

A: When I first became a police officer, no. However, when I joined the Vice/Narcotics Detail, I knew that was part of the job description — that in order to conduct vice operation I might have to pose as a John or customer. Yeah, I expected it.

Q: How common are some of these crimes that the Vice Detail deals with?

A: They are more common than normal citizens would think are occurring in Glendale. You have prostitution at the local motels that occurs on a daily basis. ... Gambling and prostitution — it goes on a lot more than what normal citizens of Glendale would think and those are the problems we try to focus on.

Q: Which is the most common?

A: Most common, I would have to say prostitution.

Q: Before you go undercover for a sting, what do you do to prepare? Do you have any kind of ritual?