ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 18, 2005
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - A bill to make it easier to
prosecute pimps and panderers was signed into law Wednesday by
Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn.
AB470, dubbed the "anti-pimp bill," removes a
requirement that an act of prostitution or pimping be
corroborated by a third party to prove guilt. With the new law,
a pimp can be prosecuted based solely on the word of the
prostitute.
Police officers who backed the bill said they were frustrated
because prosecutors wouldn't press charges against pimps unless
there was witness testimony beyond that given by prostitutes.
The officers said their observations and prostitutes' word
weren't enough to lead to a complaint.
The measure's supporters testified that the law change
protects prostitutes who are often abused. They said that under
the old law, panderers and pimps got a free pass because it was
so difficult to gather other evidence against them, whether from
other prostitutes or johns.
