November 21, 2009
- Pasco, Washington
Crackdown on Craiglist, Local Authorities Reign in Online Prostitution
By Chelsea Kopta
KENNEWICK -- Call it the internet's sketchiest swap meet. From sofas to sex, it's all right here on Craig'slist.
"There's not a single advertisement on Craigslist with a business license. And we know that," Kennewick Police Detective Rick Runge said. Detective Runge keeps tabs on Craigslist prostitutes. Last year, he was a part of a team who arrested three women suspected of prostitution. "It dropped off immediately follow that and it's starting to pick up again," Runge said. Nearly a year later, the world's oldest profession keeps finding new ways to make bank online. And officers routinely flag pages to be taken down. "And they'll be removed, so obviously that tells you that there's no one over at Craigslist monitoring," Runge said. Now the folks behind the site are teaming up with the Washington state Attorney General to stop online call girls. Under the agreement, those who advertise under "erotic services" must provide a working phone number and pay a fee using a valid credit card. Problem is, local police said prostitutes often use go-phones or phones that are untraceable. "But with a credit card number, we'll be able to find out who's holding that account number," Runge said. The plastic could provide a paper trail for men and women offering more than a just back rub. Police can snag that info with a subpoena. But it takes time to monitor the site and set up stings. "It's expensive to have three detectives work an eight hour shift, sitting at a motel room, waiting for prostitutes," Runge said. So police aren't counting on this change to solve everything. So they're try something new. "Pretty soon, they're going to realize, they're not going to know if they're meeting with police officers or legitimate customers." The new crackdown is also supposed to stop child exploitation and pornography on the site. Although Kennewick police said they've never seen anything like that locally. |
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