Seattle Adult Entertainment: City considers new tactic to fight prostitution
City considers new tactic to fight prostitution
…
Kidnapping, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are four crimes commonly associated with prostitution. Beside the violent activity the sex trade brings to the area, it also impacts the quality of life for residents. Parents complain about prostitutes servicing customers in public and discarding used condoms along the routes children walk to school. Some female residents have reported being propositioned by men who think they are prostitutes as they walk in their own neighborhoods.
“That makes me angry,” Hensley said. “For someone to think every woman walking down the street is a prostitute, that needs to change.”
The city assigned the Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution (SOAP) designation to this part of the city. This allows police to arrest known prostitutes for simply being in the area. Hensley said this helps fight prostitution, “but only if we are conducting enforcement on a regular basis.”