Making Ohio Safe From Expensive Escorts
- posted by Jim Leitzel @ 6:11 PM

A prostitution story that Vice Squad linked to yesterday included this observation from Robyn Few, a former prostitute turned prostitution-policy-reform activist: "Prostitutes don't carry guns. They carry condoms. So it's easy to arrest them. And it's fun." Today we learn that a week-long investigation by Columbus, Ohio, vice squad officers has resulted in eight arrests of alleged call girls. And if that is not exciting enough, a police sergeant has more good news: "'What made it exciting was finding other money in their computers and cell phones,' [the sergeant] said. 'We were able to seize four laptop computers out of the eight arrests and almost $20,000.'" How did we ever let it get to this point, that if you are arrested, the police can seize your computer, your cell phone, your camera, and your cash, too?

Incidentally, Ms. Few, founder of the Sex Workers Outreach Project, has been noted by Vice Squad in the past for her work on the Berkeley prostitution "decriminalization" initiative.

Meanwhile, Houston police arrested 28 of our friends and neighbors during an anti-prostitution sting operation. At least the Houston police focused on the public aspects of prostitution, which would be a legitimate candidate for regulation even in a world that did not criminalize consensual adult, private activity.

Labels: asset forfeiture, policing, prostitution