Hawaii law lets police have sex with prostitutes

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Houston Chronicle

Hawaii law lets police have sex with prostitutes
By SAM EIFLING, Associated Press | March 20, 2014 | Updated: March 20, 2014 8:49pm

HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu police officers have urged lawmakers to keep an exemption in state law that allows undercover officers to have sex with prostitutes during investigations, touching off a heated debate.

Authorities say they need the legal protection to catch lawbreakers in the act. Critics, including human trafficking experts and other police, say it's unnecessary and can further victimize sex workers, many of whom have been forced into the trade.

Police haven't said how often — or even if — they use the provision. But when they asked legislators to preserve it, they made assurances that internal policies and procedures are in place to prevent officers from taking advantage of it.

But expert Derek Marsh says the exemption is "antiquated at best" and that police can easily do their jobs without it.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Hawaii-law-lets-police-have-sex-with-prostitutes-5336345.php

[Nanjing to Seoul]

1. Yes, because enforcing laws like anti-prostiution laws are so horrible with some

forced sex slave "willingly" gives a pig their body for money. . .how can he control himself them? He could compromise the investigation.

What bullshit!

[MosheFeingold]

38. Mixed Reaction

I used to be a cop (like 100 years ago) basically because it was the job I could find after discharge from the military as an MP.

I worked undercover, primarily dealing with people that stole trucks and did insurance scams. (We're not talking small scale stuff -- organized dock-side type crimes.)

Crooks are not stupid guys, nor nice people, and they would make sure everyone did drugs, had sex, etc. because there were often rules against illegal activity in the police force. So from a logical sense of not getting ratted out, this makes sense.

And everyone who posted this is about creepy cops getting their jollies off, well, I'd like to say you are wrong, but you are probably not.

But, after thinking about this a bit, the answer is to legalize prostitution and get rid of the power than the human traffickers have by brining this out in the open with licenses and health tests, etc.

Probably the biggest thing I learned as a cop is we have too many stupid laws, probably (maybe) passed with good intentions, but all that happens is keeping populations down and giving powers-that-be a way to control/punish people.

[lumpy]

2. Good God Almighty !

[steve2470]

3. I'm sure the cops have the purest of motives

[CFLDem]

4. Wow just wow

Honolulu police officers have urged lawmakers to keep an exemption in state law that allows undercover officers to have sex with prostitutes during investigations

Well you know they need it to obtain a preponderance of guilt in their investigations.

[Lancero]

5. Legalized rape perhaps?

The legalities of such are still messy, but one could consider refusing to pay a prostitute for their um... services, to be rape.

I don't know at what point the cop would cry "Ha! Your under arrest!", but given that the whole point of this law is to allow the police officer to have sex with the prostitute, then odds are it would be after the act - Perhaps when the prostitute asks for payment?

Still, I don't see why they need to do so. All that needs to be done is to agree upon payment for the acts. Given that money changing hands is the illegal aspect, then you can arrest them right when they agree on a price and/or method of payment.

Might as well call it the hand resting act. Because thats why these officers want to keep this law on the books - So they can give their hand a rest.

[woodsprite]

18. Don't they usually get them during the "negotiation" process

when the pros are quoting the price structure, rather than sampling the wares and then nabbing them. I wouldn't want to be the wife of one of those cops.

[olddad56]

6. They don't want to get a blow job, they are just doing their job.

just plain stupid.

[bluestateguy]

7. Meanwhile police academy applications spiked last week

[7962]

8. Had a local case in my town where the cop popped before she could start and it was in the papers!

Never named the cop, but i'm sure enough people knew who he was. There was a great discussion over whether he had gone to far before making the arrest (at a "massage" parlor); that he shouldve stopped. But his defense was he "couldnt help it".
I dont think he's around anymore

[Grassy Knoll]

9. It's Legal here in Nevada....

Except for those damn Finklestien shit kids, son of a bitchhhh!!!!!

[Seeking Serenity]

28. I know what that refers to.

Strother Martin was so funny in that bit part.

[pragmatic_dem]

10. I guess we didn't have enough reasons to hate cops... nt

[SoapBox]

11. What the hell?

ANOTHER stupid ass law...seriously?

[pffshht]

12. This is a horrible law. But...

Aren't undercover narcs allowed to use drugs while involved in a drug bust, with similar justification?
And if that is legal, how is this any different?

But any anti-prostitution operation that goes after the prostitutes rather than the men soliciting them is at best misguided and at worst misogynist. And I can't see very many female police officers impersonating prostitutes willing to actually "close the deal" on tape to get evidence leading to a conviction- in fact I would bet money that has never, ever happened- so this can only be about pig cops wanting to get their dicks wet on the public's dime.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

13. How is it different?

Well for one a drug is an inanimate object(s) and a prostitute is a human being in a vulnerable position.

[valerief]

20. Welcome to DU. We'll do our best to teach you difference between drugs and human beings.

[dreamstst]

22. That's really patronizing.

Did you read the post? He described the difference in a very succinct, accurate way.

[valerief]

23. Welcome to DU. You can post excerpts from other posts by using the excerpt button and

copying and pasting the specific text. This can help you to make your point.

[dreamstst]

24. Thanks.

Actually reading someone's post helps, too.

[Maedhros]

27. Wow. You are really smug.

Not a good look.

[JudyM]

34. +1 Thank you. nt

[Orsino]

36. Hope someone will also teach us the difference...

...between busting prostitutes and the myriad other investigations police may take on that involve prostitutes, but do not target prostitutes.

Until that day, though, condescension will have to suffice.

[truthisfreedom]

14. Just legalize prostitution and keep pimping illegal.

Then cops could arrest the real bad guys.

[nomorenomore08]

16. I tend to (cautiously) agree with that... n/t

[lutefisk]

15. Male prostitutes?

I'm just taking a completely wild guess in assuming that this is just male police officers having sex with alleged female prostitutes. Is it safe to say that the male cops aren't entrapping any male prostitutes or the female cops aren't entrapping any male prostitutes?

[KamaAina]

26. Ever been to Honolulu?

Many of the sex workers who frequent Chinatown at night are trans.

[nomorenomore08]

17. Hey, what's a job without perks?

[blackspade]

19. Really?

internal policies and procedures are in place to prevent officers from taking advantage of it.

Bullshit.

[dreamstst]

21. I knew a guy on the HPD....

...who got fired for having sex with a prostitute. In this case there was coercion. He told her that otherwise he would arrest her for prostitution. So this was extortion. But there is a fine line here.

[Humanist_Activist]

29. Not endorsing it, but higher ups would have to approve an undercover operation...

the officers involved would have to report on ALL their activities, legal and possibly illegal, in order to build cases against their targets.

A police officer can't say, after the fact, that he was "operating undercover" when a woman complains about coercion into sex by said officer. Such a thing would lead to, as you mentioned, some type of discipline.

Frankly, I think the law is a bad law, and frankly I think police officers should be held to a stricter legal standard than the general population when it comes to their conduct.

[former9thward]

25. Women (and men) should be allowed to control their bodies.

Prostitution should be legal and that would eliminate pimps who "protect" the women.

[KamaAina]

30. I know HPD has had some trouble recruiting and retaining officers,

but this is ridiculous!

[jsr]

31. This will give rise to a new occupational hazard

[ellisonz]

32. Anyone wondering just how fucked up the Honolulu Police Department should...

...consult this series of excellent investigative articles:

http://www.civilbeat.com/specials/projects/in-the-name-of-the-law/

[Tom Ripley]

33. Fuck 'em, Danno!

[delta17]

35. Sounds like a job for Detective Jimmy McNulty. nt.

[former9thward]

37. I wonder what their wives think of this policy?