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Editorial: An open letter to law enforcement
The Baltimore Examiner Newspaper, The Examiner
Oct 27, 2006 5:00 AM (8 hrs ago)
Current rank: # 8 of 7,377 articles
BALTIMORE - Dear Baltimore City Police Commissioner Leonard
Hamm, Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan, Anne
Arundel Police Chief Tom Shanahan, Carroll County Sheriff
Kenneth Tregoning, Howard County Police Chief William McMahon
and Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding:
In Thursday’s editorial, “Legalize prostitution for sake of
women,” we asked why law enforcement does not treat men and
women equally when it comes to prostitution.
Technically, they face the same penalties — a maximum of one
year in jail or a $500 fine or both. But why, for example, is
Brandy Britton, the former University of Maryland, Baltimore
County assistant professor, on trial for prostitution, and not
the men who could afford her $300 per hour services? Why is her
face flashed before the media, and not those who make escort
services like hers possible? Why are women who walk the streets
so often arrested and not those who buy their services? In 2005,
1,387 women were arrested and 511 men for prostitution-related
crime in Maryland.
Is that what our penal system calls equal treatment before the
law? Regardless, statistics show current prostitution-fighting
methods have not eliminated the practice. Common sense says they
never will, so long as the demand exists.
Some say it’s impossible to reduce demand. We disagree. People
said it was impossible to find deadbeat parents who did not pay
child support.
But printing the names, addresses and photos in the newspaper
and online of those who fail to support their children has
helped to make them abide by the law. Why not apply the same
techniques to those charged with soliciting prostitutes? We
think it is worth the effort to see if the prospect of public
shame deters men from making the same mistake again and stops
those considering doing it in the first place. Who wants family,
employers and friends to know about such seedy behavior?
To aid you in this endeavor, we would be willing to make a full
page available free each month to publish the names, addresses
and pictures of prostitution customers you have charged. We
would leave blank spaces for the nonparticipating governmental
units, encouraging citizens to complain to them for tolerating
the exploitation of women and lack of commitment to ending this
practice.
Please contact Marta Hummel at mhummel@baltimoreexaminer.com to
discuss how we can work together. We look forward to hearing
from you.
Sincerely,
The Examiner
For your information
Let law enforcement know your opinion on this issue. Call:
» Baltimore City Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm: 410-396-2040
» Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan: 410-887-2214
» Anne Arundel Police Chief Tom Shanahan: 410-222-8050
» Carroll County Sheriff Kenneth Tregoning: 410-386-2900
» Howard County Police Chief William McMahon: 410-313-3200
» Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding: 410-836-5400
Examiner
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