Prostitution Stings and my arrest!

[Guest jeffOH]

I haven't posted much lately and I can now share with everyone what happened. I was arrested March 11 in a sting at a hotel and was charged with "engaging in prostitution". Needless to say, I was quite angry with myself for dismissing suspicious behavior on the part of the "client" by attributing it to the fact that he was nervous and inexperienced with men.

 

March 13, the local CBS and NBC affiliates both did interviews with vice at the same hotel(La Quinta Inn). They didn't reveal the undercover agents' identities, nor the name of the hotel, but I recognized the room. Well, since I was in a full-blown manic state as a result of the stress of the arrest and having been off all meds for bipolar since last summer,it was quite easy for me to get fired up.

 

I sent e-mails all over town--to the reporters at the TV stations who had done the reports, to the Mayor, to the editor and several reporters at The Columbus Dispatch and to a columnist at Columbus Alive.

 

Here's my letter that was published the day before my arraignment, not exactly the best timing.

______________________________________________________________________

 

STINGS ON ESCORT SERVICES A WASTE OF MONEY

 

Regarding the prostitution-sting story featured Friday by several media outlets, I am one of the male "escorts" who was ensnared in this huge waste of taxpayers' money. Rather than a spoon-fed, pablum story from the Columbus Division of Police, how about the real story from the other side of the sting?

 

How about some hard-hitting questions about costs of the sting operations and whether there's any real benefit to invading what would otherwise be a private situation between consenting adults?

 

How about asking how far the vice cops will go to set someone up? The cop who was posing as a client at the La Quinta Inn on Brice Road undressed and touched me first. Also, the big lie the cops always trot out is about related crimes; how about the police backing that up by showing how many of the prostitution arrests actually result in any additional charges?

 

I've worked as an escort in Columbus for a dozen years and I've never had any problems--until now.

 

How about some research into prostitution arrest statistics in Columbus, breaking it down between street prostitution and "escort" prostitution, and compare that with how many, if any, actual complaints there are regarding escorts who work in private vs. street hookers and brothels?

 

I'd gladly do an interview to expose the lies, deception and ridiculous lengths cops go to to make an arrest.

 

At a time when there aren't enough police on the streets, how can the division justify vice cops lying around in motels all day and frequenting strip clubs, all in some puritanical and wrong-headed attempt to make sure consenting adults aren't touching each other or having sex? Now there's a story!

 

There were no less than eight cops involved in this sting, eight cops who could have been out on the streets pursuing real crime with real victims! How can they justify the tactics they're using to make an arrest for a first-degree misdemeanor? How many other misdemeanors warrant the use of such an extreme waste of resources, time, money and so many officers?

 

As the sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional last year, so will prostitution laws one day.

 

JEFF JENKINS

Columbus

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I realized when my letter was published that I should have deleted the sentence, "I've worked as an escort in Columbus...", oh well.

 

I was going to do an interview with a reporter at NBC4 and with the columnist at Alive, but my attorney advised me to keep a low profile until the case was settled.

 

This past Weds. there was a response in the Letters to the Editor in The Columbus Dispatch from Lt. John Meyers of the vice section CPD.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

CITY'S VICE OFFICERS DO IMPORTANT POLICE WORK

 

I respond to Jeff Jenkins' letter to the editor published Thursday. Jenkins made the assertion that the Columbus Division of Police's vice operation was a huge waste of taxpayers' money.

 

I respectfully disagree. Vice officers conduct investigations into alcohol, gambling, prostitution and other vice-related crimes. The officers do a dirty, dangerous and often thankless job to stop such people from spreading sexually transmitted diseases, robbing customers and committing other criminal behaviors.

 

Jenkins is also of the opinion that this is a "private situation" between consenting adults. He fails to consider that some of the "clients" have families, and the clients' behavior affects spouses, children, other family members, neighbors and so on.

 

This type of operation has been employed by law-enforcement agencies for many years. The purpose of the reversals is to go after the clients as well as the prostitutes--in other words, the supply as well as the demand.

 

This was no "puritanical" or "wrong-headed" attempt to go after consenting adults. It is only when people pay for sex that the vice section becomes involved.

 

While it may be wishful thinking on Jenkins' part that prostitution laws will be ruled unconstitutional, he should make his plea to the General Assembly. As long as there are criminal statutes to enforce, the vice section will continue to enforce them.

 

I would also suggest that he seek legal counsel. As Jenkins admitted to engaging in this behavior for the past 12 years, I will share his letter with the city prosecutor, the judge and the jury when his case comes to trial.

 

I also believe that Jenkins wil be convicted or plead to the criminal charge. I hope he will consider another line of work in the meantime.

 

Lt. John Meyers

Vice section

Columbus Division of Police

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I went to court last Friday, got a continuance, got a great attorney, went back to court today, pled No Contest, got fined $250 plus $61 in court costs, paid that and now it's a done deal!

 

Here's my response to the letter from the Lt., which I sent to the paper earlier this afternoon and will hopefully get published.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

RE: Lt. John Meyers' letter to the editor 03/17/04, "City's Vice Officers do important police work".

 

Lt. Meyers said, "Jenkins made the assertion that the CDP's vice operation was a 'huge waste of taxpayers' money' ". Actually, I specifically referred to the "escort stings". In typical fashion, NO statistical facts were provided to back up claims regarding STDs, customers being robbed or other criminal behaviors and nothing about the costs of such stings. For example, how many prostitutes and clients were arrested in 2003? How many were required to be tested? How many tested positive for any STDs? Of the total prostitutes and clients arrested, how many resulted in additional charges of any real significance? These unsubstantiated claims are nothing more than a smokescreen for a moral judgment rooted in religion, considered a "sin" by some and codified into law.

 

Lt. Meyers also said, "Jenkins is of the opinion that this is a "private situation" between consenting adults and that he fails to consider that some of the clients have families...who are affected by the client's behavior." What Lt. Meyers fails to realize is that "non-commercial", adulterous affairs are no longer the concern of the government and neither should possible adulterous affairs of someone who chooses to pay for sex. It's their decision and responsibility to take steps to protect their own health, not the government's. Besides, IF there's a valid concern about public safety/health, decriminalize it, regulate it, require prostitutes to be tested/certified regularly so there can be a true measure of control regarding safety and health issues as other more enlightened countries have successfully done.

 

Such ordinances are "puritanical" and an invasion of our privacy rights considering the overzealous, ridiculous lengths vice cops go to to make an arrest. Posing as either a client or an escort, getting naked, allowing their genitals/breasts to be touched--basically seducing someone... and this is what Meyers considers "important police work".

 

According to Chief Jackson himself, "Seventy-eight times a day we are unable to fill a cruiser because of lack of personnel"! (Dispatch 03/11/04 Bollinger Tower article)

 

I will continue to speak out against such laws and that may very well include the "General Assembly" one day. In the meantime, Vice will continue wasting resources and officers to enforce these statutes. The courts will get their money (fines), bailbondsmen and attorneys will also continue to profit. That is until a majority of citizens finally realize the unconstitutional nature of such laws.

 

JEFF JENKINS

[Guest DevonSFescort]

Good for you, Jeff. That took real balls.

[Boston Guy]

Jeff,

 

First, I'm sorry you went through this. It must have been a harrowing week.

 

Second, I'm not at all sure that I would have recommended going public like you did (!), but it was a very gutsy thing to do. I commend you for standing up for what you believe in.

 

Third, you might want to think about having a slightly lower profile for a little bit. I'd hate to hear that one of the crazy right-wingers decided to have some fun by bashing you. If your name is out there in public, your address probably is, too. So please take care.

 

Regards,

BG

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

>First, I'm sorry you went through this. It must have been a

>harrowing week.

 

That goes for me too.

 

>... you might want to think about having a slightly lower

>profile for a little bit. I'd hate to hear that one of the

>crazy right-wingers decided to have some fun by bashing you.

>If your name is out there in public, your address probably is,

>too. So please take care.

 

Right wing bashing might be one problem but Jeff may become a special project for the Vice Squad from here on. I doubt that they appreciated the very public confrontation and that probably some of them would like nothing better than to see Jeff hauled in again and again. I woudn't be shocked either if it crossed the mind of some to 'manufacture' a little evidience for an assoicated crime. Police are just like the rest of the population: some honest and upright, others compromising for a purpose, and some just plain corrupt. Mix some of this with a badge of authority and... Jeff be very careful.

[Guest houseboy]

Argh. This is definitely every escort's nightmare come true and I am sorry to hear that you had to go through all of this.

 

The question is, though, how could this have been avoided? I know there are a number of members of the police force using this site for their after-hour enjoyment, so I wonder if any of you has any input on this.

 

To my knowledge, a police agent has to tell you that he is a cop if asked because otherwise it would be entrapment. I was told this by police agents / clients in both Massachusetts and Illinois, so I am not sure if this is true for all states, but would be interested in finding out if it is. If so, situations like this would could have been easily avoided by asking the "client" up front "are you a cop?". I know several escorts who ask their clients as a rule and I have done so on occasion if something seems not kosher with the way my appointments are set up.

 

On a sidenote, people in the U.S. really should get over their sexual hangups. Nowhere but in the Land of the Free have I ever encountered such repression of sexuality as here. In France, it is a rare day that you can walk down the street and not run into an ad for a booby magazine. In Germany, prostitution is legal and male and female escorts enjoy health benefits, legal protection (pimps anyone?), and yes, they pay taxes. Even in China, where prostitution is in theory rewarded either by a couple of years in a re-education camp or death in extreme cases, I have run into more prostitutes while trying to shop for my wontons than I have in the Tenderloin.

 

Prostitution has rightly been termed the "oldest profession in the world" and it is highly improbably that periodic crackdowns here in the U.S. will do anything to change that. All it does (as with so many things that get suppressed), is to drive it even further into the underground, where nothing good has ever been bred. I do agree with Jeff that prostitution laws should be revised in this country, since they are clearly ineffective. Make it legal, provide sex workers with the chance to make their living in a non-dangerous environment (anyone seen "Monster" lately?), and if you like, tax their income. If you cannot eradicate a perceived "evil", you might as well turn it into something positive.

 

Sean Lespagnol

Chicago, IL

http://www.seanlespagnol.com

 

"Big and tasty - every day!"

[CT Dick]

Jeff, weren't you arrested awhile ago in a motel sting? Is this the second time or is it another Ohio Jeff?

 

I admire your guts. That was a ballsy way to handle the situation and I'm so glad for you it worked out as it did.

 

Dick

[Guest jeffOH]

One good thing that has come of all of this is that it made me realize how much I needed to get back to the psychiatrist and back on my meds. This whole situation totally threw me into the worst manic-depressive cycle I'd EVER experienced complete with overwhelming anxiety and panic-attacks.

 

Regarding my escorting career, this has definitely accelerated my retirement plans. Fortunately, I've had the financial and emotional support of my friends, clients and my two sisters. Plans now include registering for classes at Columbus State and starting work on a degree in Social Work.

 

I'm more than aware that I've made myself a target of the police, but this whole episode has inspired me to take on an activist role. I'm to do a TV interview and an interview with a gay columnist in a local alternative paper.

 

houseboy?, During undercover operations, officers are under no obligation to answer Yes if asked if they're affiliated with any law enforcement agency. They will lie and do whatever it takes to set you up.

 

CTdick, yes, I was arrested last year about this time for "offering massage without a permit or license" (a 4th degree misdemeanor) in the city of Reynoldsburg to which I pled No Contest and paid a $125 fine, which didn't figure into this case. My record in Columbus was clean, except for a 1993 Disorderly Conduct conviction, as a result of an argument I got into with a police officer one day downtown, who was trying to tell me that rollerblading wasn't allowed on city sidewalks. I knew full well he was wrong, told him so and lost my temper.

 

Needless to say, the past 2 weeks have been HELL, but I'm now looking at this as an opportunity to start another chapter of my life.

 

Thanks for all the support, I truly appreciate it!

 

JEFF

[Guest YFSC]

Jeff -

 

I echo the sentiments of Boston Guy and Tampa Yankee:

..sorry you had this happen

..I applaud your gutsy/ballsy reaction

but especially

..you will *for sure* now be the target of special attention and setups from the Columbus vice squad, at least for a significant period of time. They may even be able to go so far as to get a warrant to tap your phone, etc., and/or a search warrant for your computer. Given that you have admitted to engaging in illegal activities, they may be able to try to pursue that angle further or to engage in surveillance to nab you in the act in the future. Please be very careful.

 

>Regarding my escorting career, this has definitely accelerated

>my retirement plans.

>...

>I'm more than aware that I've made myself a target of the

>police, but this whole episode has inspired me to take on an

>activist role.

 

I trust that "accelerated" is something of an understatement here. An activist role would be great, but from a non-practicing stance. You have been a valued contributor and I would hate to see anything more of an unfortunate nature happen to you.

 

>One good thing that has come of all of this is that it made

>me realize how much I needed to get back to the psychiatrist

>and back on my meds. This whole situation totally threw me

>into the worst manic-depressive cycle I'd EVER experienced

>complete with overwhelming anxiety and panic-attacks.

 

In a way that is some good that may have come out of this affair.

 

>Fortunately, I've had the financial and

>emotional support of my friends, clients and my two sisters.

>Plans now include registering for classes at Columbus State

>and starting work on a degree in Social Work.

 

Glad to hear that. You have the support of people here too.

 

>Needless to say, the past 2 weeks have been HELL, but I'm now

>looking at this as an opportunity to start another chapter of

>my life.

 

Glad to see that you are focusing on getting past this.

 

Best to you and please keep us informed about how things are going for you.

[Guest skrubber]

Jeff

I commend you. COPS SUCK!!!

 

Everybody loves Backa Baa.

[eastbayguy]

>Right wing bashing might be one problem but Jeff may become a

>special project for the Vice Squad from here on. I doubt that

>they appreciated the very public confrontation and that

>probably some of them would like nothing better than to see

>Jeff hauled in again and again. I woudn't be shocked either

>if it crossed the mind of some to 'manufacture' a little

>evidience for an assoicated crime. Police are just like the

>rest of the population: some honest and upright, others

>compromising for a purpose, and some just plain corrupt. Mix

>some of this with a badge of authority and... Jeff be very

>careful.

 

I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. A very close friend of mine is a defense attorney. He says manufactured evidence, especially in Federal prosections, is very common.

 

No doubt several of the lawyers hereabouts will have their own stories to tell. My thought would be that the next 3-6 months would be a good time to lay low and let the police get good and busy on something else.

 

Do be careful, Jeff. We like you and have missed your presence in the M/C of late. Hang in there. Hope your defense in this matter didn't bankrupt you.

 

--EBG

[Doug69]

I echo the sentiments commending you for your courage in publicly attaching your name to an opinion which you believe strongly and which most people (as the posters in this thread conclusively demonstrate) would be too afraid to express.

 

I doubt that you will become the target of any significantly increased attention from the Vice Squad, but if you do, you ought to know that it is illegal (and a violation of your constitutional rights) for the Police Department to target you or apply increased or unequal law enforcement measures against you due to, or in retaliation for, any political opinions which you expressed, and if you did indeed become the target of such intensified scrutiny, then - in light of that Letter to the Editor you sent and in light of the response of that Vice Squad officer - any civil/constitutional rights plaintiff's attorney in Columbus would salivate to take your case on some contingency arrangement and commence a Section 1983 action in federal court.

 

So you should not fear any such response (which, for exactly this reason, I think is quite unlikely), but if it does occur, you have potent remedies which you ought to have little difficulty vindicating.

[VaHawk]

Oh please, COPS SUCK, because they are doing their jobs? Or do they only suck when the performance of their duties conflict with a person’s “self-definition” of what laws are just and what activities should be illegal?

 

Cops do not enact the laws. They are only charged with enforcing compliance to the laws. There are a lot of “victimless” crimes, including indulging in drugs and exceeding the driving speed limit. If someone wants to go buy some crack out on the street, or speed down the freeway at 120mph, is the cop to blame for arresting that person?

 

If prostitution is illegal in a jurisdiction, and one engages in prostitution either selling or hiring and they get arrested, then put the blame on the laws, and not on the police, as you willingly engaged in breaking the existing laws. What’s that old adage “if you can’t do the time then don’t do the crime”?

 

I, personally think drugs, prostitution and gambling should be legal, but unfortunately they are not in most jurisdictions, and since they are not, then the police must assign resources to enforce compliance to the laws in those areas, not just allocate all resources to patrolling the streets looking for violent criminals. To rant at the police for wasting time/resources in enforcing “victimless crimes” is, in itself, a waste of time, and such rants should be directed at the legislators who enacted the laws, not at the police for enforcing the laws. Have you ever noticed that when someone who is arrested for engaging in “victimless crime” whether it is prostitution or even a speeding ticket always chant that tired old refrain about how the cops should be out there prosecuting the “real criminals” when a violation of any law as long as that law is on the books makes the violator in turn a “real criminal”?

 

Do you think that most police would rather be out there enforcing laws against violent criminals rather than criminals engaged in victimless crimes? But then again, resources have to be allocated to victimless crimes as well.

 

Yeah, COPS SUCK, just remember that the next time you call 911 for help!

[Guest YFSC]

>I doubt that you will become the target of any significantly

>increased attention from the Vice Squad, but if you do, you

>ought to know that it is illegal (and a violation of your

>constitutional rights) for the Police Department to target you

>or apply increased or unequal law enforcement measures against

>you due to, or in retaliation for, any political opinions

>which you expressed,

 

How about admitted violations of a law for 12 years, and/or suspicion of continuing violations, and/or current acts of violating a law. Are those political opinions? Don't the cops conduct surveillance of people suspected of engaging in or planning to engage in illegal acts?

 

And if the police do come down on someone with unequal enforcement, it's not exactly comforting to know that their actions were illegal. A little caution can go a long way.

 

> any civil/constitutional rights

>plaintiff's attorney in Columbus would salivate to take your

>case on some contingency arrangement and commence a Section

>1983 action in federal court.

>

>So you should not fear any such response (which, for exactly

>this reason, I think is quite unlikely), but if it does occur,

>you have potent remedies which you ought to have little

>difficulty vindicating.

 

Maybe not everyone relishes the emotional stress, the prospect of having their lives turned upside down and put on hold, and the prospect of spending months or more tied up in court... and then doing it all over again when the appeals are filed. Even if you know you will win in the end, the process of getting there is not a pleasant experience or a rapid one.

 

Hmmmmmmm... are you a lawyer, Doug?

[Guest YFSC]

>Oh please, COPS SUCK, because they are doing their jobs?

 

Well, it seems that when their job is to be the bait in an escort sting, they DO. Literally. :7

[Retired Fly Boy]

Dear JeffOH, So sorry for your ordeal. This kind of arrest is high profile, with alot of news coverage. It shows the tax payers the police are hard at work. In this business, you never know who is on the otherside of that hotel door. Some escorts have told me, they have run into nut cases who want to beat them up. One young man I know, had drugs dumped in his drink and raped. I always tell my lads to keep at least $5,000 in reserve just in case this ever happens. You can make bail and have some money for an attorney. One thing my lawyer made clear to me, keep your mouth shut and call your attorney first. Give them nothing to use against yourself in the court room. Never say anything until you have a lawyer present and by all means, you do what he or she says, like keep quiet. In most cases, your lawyer will walk you out of that court room. Your punishment will be your legal fees.;(

[VaHawk]

Well "bait and sting" is the most useful tactic the police have to arrest violators of the laws against prostitution, as ALL escorts/clients SHOULD be aware of and as such, they should practice utmost caution, especially if he/she has been "caught" before.

 

There are probably some cops who engage in activity (grope, suck, etc.) before the bust, but that is probably a very small minority of the vice squad population. That imo, does not justify a broad brushed painting of the police via a statement of COPS SUCK!

[Guest jeffOH]

Unless the laws are being broken and challenged, they're not likely to ever be changed. Because of one man here in Ohio who challenged his city's "importuning" ordinance, the law was ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court just a couple of years ago. He fought his battle in the courts and the media. Such ordinances were being used mainly against gay men cruising parks or public restrooms. For those unfamiliar with "importuning", it's when you proposition someone who may be offended by your advances. This law had been around for years and was being used almost exclusively against men cruising parks who propositioned male undercover cops.

 

There are many approaches to making changes. I think it's important to speak out about how these ordinances are being enforced. This brings it to the attention of the public, who might not otherwise hear about what really goes on with these stings. I think the police count on those arrested to be embarassed and want it to just "go away", so they pay their fine/do their time and keep their mouths shut.

 

I think it really gets peoples' attention when they hear that 8-12 cops at a time are involved in such stings and are being paid to get naked and allow their genitals/breasts to be touched. Also, the police NEVER provide statistics to back up their usual claims of STDs, customers being robbed and related crimes.

 

There's obviously been an interest in this since I've been pursued for interviews. NBC4 even had a camera in the courtroom last week. The editor of The Columbus Dispatch sent me an e-mail saying

he thought it would make for a great investigative story. All of this brings attention and promotes debate, which is a healthy part of our democracy

 

The cute cop--in whose personal car I sat in handcuffs and waited for an hour for a cruiser to come get me and take me downtown-- told me that he thought prostitution should be legal and that he'd rather be doing something else. A friend of mine who's a prosecutor in another city, told me that she and most of her colleagues totally agreed with everything I said in my letter, as did several attorneys, prosecutors and a couple of judges from what I've heard from a "source" of mine who works at the courthouse. There was alot of buzz surrounding this.

 

I've pulled all my print ads, removed my ad from AmericanMale, asked to be removed from Guys4rent and I asked Hooboy to remove my reviews.

 

I'd sent letters to the editor in the past, they'd even called to verify that I was the author, but those letters never made it past that stage. I was in the midst of full-blown mania when I wrote that 1st letter in which I incriminated myself. I'd sent that letter out to a dozen people, but I completely forgot about that one sentence in the version sent to the paper.

 

The statement I made basically admitting to 12 years of criminal behavior, would most definitely been used against me at trial. The city prosecutor wasn't about to make a deal of any sort, we knew the judge and his history on such cases and decided that it would be best to plead No Contest and accept a fine. The city prosecutor wanted a higher fine--could've been up to a $1000--but this judge isn't easily influenced by the police or the city prosecutor and never seeks the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police when he's up for re-election.

 

Thanks again guys!

 

JEFF

[woodlawn]

>Argh. This is definitely every escort's nightmare come true

>and I am sorry to hear that you had to go through all of this.

 

Being arrested is mighty unpleasant, and I don't wish it on anyone here. But but if one doesn't have a career, family or reputation that can be jeopardized by such an arrest it's silly to freak out over a misdemeanor for which it is highly unlikely one will receive any penalty but a modest fine. We have soldiers just out of their teens facing death and horrible injury every day in Iraq right now. A few weeks ago the NYT magazine did a story on a young man with a promising career in the Army who was blinded in Iraq and now is back home living with his folks and can't even get dressed by himself. Let's try to keep some perspective on what is truly serious and what is not.

 

 

>The question is, though, how could this have been avoided? I

>know there are a number of members of the police force using

>this site for their after-hour enjoyment, so I wonder if any

>of you has any input on this.

 

Uh oh.

 

>To my knowledge, a police agent has to tell you that he is a

>cop if asked because otherwise it would be entrapment.

 

I feel a slight shiver of apprehension when I think that anyone reading this board might see bullshit like the above and act as if it were true. The fact is that sting operations in which cops tell people they are NOT cops whether or not they are asked are perfectly legal in every state. The term "entrapment" has nothing to do with that and refers to a completely different situation. It amazes me how often people assign to the word "entrapment" something that has no connection to its legal meaning.

 

>I was

>told this by police agents / clients in both Massachusetts and

>Illinois,

 

Afterward I expect they had a good laugh at the fact that you swallowed such nonsense. If you want to know something about the law in your state, get off your ass and go to the public library, where you will find a complete set of your state statutes, including a handy table of contents and topical index. No need to rely on others to tell you what the law is when it's easy enough to find out for yourself. If you aren't going to do that, at least give other people a break and don't post misinformation that might get them into trouble.

 

 

>I have done so on occasion if

>something seems not kosher with the way my appointments are

>set up.

 

Next time don't bother to ask, since it does absolutely no good whatsoever.

 

 

>On a sidenote, people in the U.S. really should get over their

>sexual hangups.

 

>Prostitution has rightly been termed the "oldest profession in

>the world" and it is highly improbably that periodic

>crackdowns here in the U.S. will do anything to change that.

 

And it's just as improbable that prostitution will be legalized in this country during the lifetime of anyone reading this board. I always wonder why people think that the fact prostitution has been around for a long time means it isn't going away, while they don't draw a similar conclusion from the fact that laws against prostitution have also been around for a long time.

 

 

>Make it legal, provide sex

>workers with the chance to make their living in a

>non-dangerous environment (anyone seen "Monster" lately?), and

>if you like, tax their income.

 

Legalizing and creating a regulatory structure for prostitution is no more likely to eliminate illegal prostitution than legalizing and regulating gambling has eliminated illegal gambling. The only result would be a prostitution industry in which some people operate within the legal structure while plenty of others continue to operate outside it.

[Doug69]

>>To my knowledge, a police agent has to tell you that he is a

>>cop if asked because otherwise it would be entrapment.

>

>I feel a slight shiver of apprehension when I think that

>anyone reading this board might see bullshit like the above

>and act as if it were true. The fact is that sting operations

>in which cops tell people they are NOT cops whether or not

>they are asked are perfectly legal in every state.

 

This absurd concept - that cops are somehow compelled to disclose their identity when asked, so that asking "are you a cop?" to an undercover officer is some sort of kryptonite-like weapon which defeats them -- is so pervasive as to qualify as an Urban Myth. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked by escorts over the computer or phone: "are you a member of law enforcement?", and each time, when I later ask why they asked that, they tell me that they were "told" that cops must say "yes" when asked that.

 

I think this belief may derive from some internal FBI regulations in place in the 1970s and 1980s (they may have been Congressionally mandated) which prohibited federal law enforcement officers from covertly infiltrating political groups by pretending to be group members in order to gather information about that group's activities. For that reason, many groups on the fringes (such as radical "black "power" groups and even ACT-UP) used to begin their meetings by asking: "Are there any members of law enforcement here?"

 

That's the only thing I can think of as to how this absurd idea proliferated. But Woodlawn is absolutely right - an undercover cop is perfeclty free to deny that he's a cop. That happens all the time. Do you think that armed drug dealers can simply ask anyone who is near them: "Are you a cop?" and any undercover officers are required to say "yes"?

[VaHawk]

Well, I CERTAINLY admire your courage in doing what you did via the press as that had to have taken a lot of chutzpah! I agree that what you did will certainly awaken others' cognizance on the waste of police resources on such victimless crimes, but I really don't understand your vehemence against the police, per se, as by your own admission the cop in the cruiser admitted that he would rather be fighting "real" criminals.

 

But I'm curious as to how your actions in this case and in your prior case connotates with the case of the man you cited who fought thru the court system and got the other laws overturned.

 

Didn't you hire an attorney and make a pre-trial agreement with the prosecutor in both cases that resulted in a fine/no jail time conviction, which in turn implies no more of a duty for you than to merely show up in court at the appointed time, have the charges read and pay the fine? I only ask, because this is what I did when I got busted for public non-prostitute sex.

 

Didn't you also plead guilty and pay the fine in both cases, just like you accuse the police of wanting others to do and in turn having those others do?

 

Please don't take this as any kind of personal attack/criticism, as the actions you did take are much more courageous and effective than most anyone else would have undertaken. I think you did the utmost that you could, given the fact that this deals with prositution and the case you cited deals with consenting non-pay sodomy between adults. I just don't understand how the two cases relate nor how someone could fight a prostitution charge thru the court system vs consensual adult sodomy and expect to have the same result.

[Guest jeffOH]

>Didn't you hire an attorney and make a pre-trial agreement

>with the prosecutor in both cases that resulted in a fine/no

>jail time conviction, which in turn implies no more of a duty

>for you than to merely show up in court at the appointed time,

>have the charges read and pay the fine? I only ask, because

>this is what I did when I got busted for public non-prostitute

>sex.

 

No, there was no pre-trial agreement made with the prosecutor in either case. This was handled at arraignment. I pled No Contest to the massage case last year and No Contest to this charge because my attorney told me we'd be taking a chance as to which judge we might get and I'd most likely lose if it went to trial, based upon the videotaped evidence, my admission in my letter basically screwing myself and of course the massage conviction which would also come into play at trial.

 

>Didn't you also plead guilty and pay the fine in both cases,

>just like you accuse the police of wanting others to do and in

>turn having those others do?

 

Actually, I said that I believe that they count on people arrested on prostitution-related charges to pay the fine and/or do the time and MOST importantly keep their yaps shut and move on. I paid my fine and I'm now going to wage my battle in the media. I'm certainly NOT keeping my mouth shut out of any embarassment or shame.

 

I think you did the utmost that you could, given

>the fact that this deals with prostitution and the case you

>cited deals with consenting non-pay sodomy between adults. I

>just don't understand how the two cases relate nor how someone

>could fight a prostitution charge thru the court system vs

>consensual adult sodomy and expect to have the same result.

 

I wasn't equating the two as being the same. My point is that his case exposed how the ordinance was being enforced through his trial and the resulting media coverage. These things have to start somewhere and perhaps someone else will come along who'll have the resources and emotional stability (which, quite frankly, I simply don't have at this time) to further challenge a prostitution charge in the court system. I felt like I could take it to the media and shed some light on the tactics, resources, # of officers which are being used to enforce prostitution laws and hopefully this increased awareness may lead more debate and to future changes. Although I have no doubt that I'll most likely be in the Old Hookers' Home, before we see such laws changed.

 

JEFF

[Guest DevonSFescort]

Jeff, I can't even begin to tell you how impressed and inspired I am by the sheer transparency with which you seem to live your life and conduct yourself on this board. That quality is not generally associated with our industry, and you really do us proud. Thank you for the stand you're making. I hope one day people will talk about what a pioneer that Jeff Jenkins fellow was.

[VaHawk]

Thanks so very much for your clarification which was done so in a truly professional, non-judgemental attitude way! I really appreciate your honest response, and I am TRULY glad that everything worked out the best for you! Now go kick ass in the media and best wishes to you always.

[Guest]

>Do you think that most police would rather be out there

>enforcing laws against violent criminals rather than criminals

>engaged in victimless crimes?

 

No

[Rick Munroe]

>A few weeks ago

>the NYT magazine did a story on a young man with a promising

>career in the Army who was blinded in Iraq and now is back

>home living with his folks and can't even get dressed by

>himself. Let's try to keep some perspective on what is truly

>serious and what is not.

 

So, in woodlawn logic, nothing else that happens in the world matters because soldiers are dying and getting maimed in Iraq. Of course, what is happening in Iraq is horrific, but it doesn't negate everyone else's life experiences. A blinded soldier has nothing to do with an arrested escort; you can't compare the two.