Another U.S. Prostitution Story
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 5:00 PM

The former police chief of Runnemede, New Jersey, was arrested in a brothel in another New Jersey town in January. He pleaded guilty to a count of official misconduct in June, and was sentenced -- a $15,000 fine, $3000 in restitution to Runnemede, a year of probation, and a ban on holding public office -- on Friday. The arrest ended his 31-year police career, too. He had to sit through a lecture from the judge, too, according to this article at phillyburbs.com: 'With this self-indulgent and unlawful act, you have embarrassed yourself, your family and your profession,' [the judge told the former chief]. 'You held a position of public trust which you abused with this self-indulgent act.'

In many countries of the world, this "self-indulgent" act is legal, and the defendant would still be a police chief. But New Jersey has higher standards. (Although maybe the judge doesn't trust the people of NJ to maintain those standards -- why ban the former chief from holding public office? Is it possible that the people of New Jersey would view such a man as fit for office?)

Incidentally, this story seems to be a bit more complex than a single off-duty trip to a brothel. I can't find the earlier reports on the web, but there was an informant involved, one who made fifty calls to the chief, and may have been responsible for arranging the brothel visit.

Labels: policing, Prohibition, prostitution, sentencing