Hawthorne police and sheriff's deputies handed out AIDs pamphlets to 44 men and a 16-year-old boy they arrested Thursday in a prostitution sting near an Imperial Highway motel.
Seven women were also arrested for allegedly trying to persuade male officers assigned to the decoy operation to pay for sex.
The 11-hour operation, which began about noon Thursday, was conducted outside the Acacia Motel after police received complaints about prostitution in the area.
The men ranged in age from 18 to 42. They allegedly offered between $10 and $40 to female officers dressed in civilian clothes in exchange for sexual acts.
