OKLAHOMA CITY — Officers arrested more than a dozen people they say were either offering prostitution services or attempting to buy them. While some suspects were allegedly trying to pay for those services, they ended up being taken into custody by undercover officers.

The sting was carried out by Oklahoma City vice officers posing undercover in one of the metros most notorious areas of prostitution.

“Around here at the park I’ve seen cars just hiding,” resident Betsy Torres said.

It’s located just a short drive from the busy streets of downtown and far enough from the street with an infamous name, South Robinson.

“I see girls just walking and one time I saw a girl get into a car with somebody and they just left,” she said.

However, Monday the girl or the customer may have been an Oklahoma City vice officer working undercover.

At least 18 people, who police say were either prostituting or aiding in prostitution, were taken into custody.

“The vice unit went out there in response to tips and complaints from the public that this was going on,” OKC Police MSgt. Gary Knight said.

Often it happens within feet of schools and playgrounds, longtime history police are hoping to steer into another direction.

“It’s called the world’s oldest profession for a reason,” Knight said. “You hope that it’s two fold; number one, you deter it and number two, that you can help get some of these girls out of this line of work and get them into something that’s more beneficial to them.”