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Prostitution: Worth police enforcement?
Luke Broadwater, The Examiner
Oct 23, 2006 5:00 AM (14 days ago)
Current rank: # 659 of 7,546 articles
Howard County - The
Howard County Vice and Narcotics Unit’s January prostitution
arrest of ex-UMBC assistant professor Brandy Britton has sparked
new life into an age-old debate: Are prostitution arrests a good
use of taxpayer dollars?
In 2005, police officers across the state of Maryland
arrested more people on prostitution charges (1,898) than they
did on charges of forcible rape (418), arson (572) and various
other sex offenses (1,312). Howard police are on pace to triple
their prostitution arrests this year. They’ve locked up 52
people, including Britton, on charges of prostitution this year,
compared to 18 in all of 2005.
But are such arrests a good use of police manpower, money and
time?
“I would say that if it’s the most serious crime they
have going on in Howard County, then those people are indeed
blessed,” said Vince Femia, a retired Prince George’s County
Circuit Court judge. “Tell me you spent months investigating
an illegal weapons center or a hangout for bank robbers.
You’re telling me you spent that kind of money to get rid of a
hooker? I object as a citizen and a taxpayer.”
Sheldon Greenberg, Johns Hopkins’ director of the division
of public safety leadership, said prostitution arrests can be
useful if the crime is overrunning a community, but such
operations are a huge drain on police resources.
“Prostitution investigations require a great deal of time
and effort,” he said. “Given the percentage of officers on
patrol, you have to ask, ‘Is it the best us of police
resources?’ It’s not high on the agenda of a lot of police
departments.”
Beverly Hills attorney Darren Kavinoky, who provides legal
commentary on high-profile cases on such shows as “Larry King
Live” and “Today,” said a better approach to making
prostitution busts would be legalizing the business.
“It should be legalized and regulated, like Nevada and
Amsterdam,” he said.
Howard County police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said
officers have seen a spike in prostitution arrests this year
because they’ve had increased complaints from community
members about the crime.
“When a community recognizes what they believe to be an
illegal activity in their neighborhood, they contact us,” she
said. “As a result, we often launch investigations or even
month-long operations. Often times, we see prostitution go
hand-in-hand with drug use and drug sales. We are obligated as a
law enforcement agency to do something about it.”
Still, Greenberg says police routinely ignore other minor
offenses, such as speeding and loitering, and some critics say
authorities should employ social remedies to help dissuade women
from the profession.
“The idea that we’re going to arrest and arrest and
arrest is ridiculous,” Kavinoky said. “It sort of begs the
question: What are we as a society doing to empower people who
have fallen on hard times?”
lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com
Original link:
http://www.examiner.com/a-357816~Prostitution__Worth_police_enforcement_.html
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