Charlie Kotan: Pull the plug on stings

My first reaction was of this being a sad waste of resources. I’d be more interested in baiting and arresting illegal immigrants, drug wholesalers, and human traffickers in our community than the end-users of electronic procurement of prostitutes, but as noted by other commenters, there is an association with the areas I would prioritize with such activities. While the sting utilized conventional motels/hotels, I’d be willing to guess that among the more than 1000 vacation rentals in town there are some that are used for a multitude of illicit practices. And a lot harder to detect and police.

Charlie, what the heck? Are you off your meds? There’s much more to these prostitution stings than “baiting” a bunch of lonely old goats “trying to find some joy.” The police are also looking for bigger issues including human trafficking, illegal drugs and gang activity. I’m not sorry for these guys, they knew what they were doing was illegal. Kudos to the cops and the city for not tolerating such illicit activities in our community. I guess it’s a warning to you and your buddies to be more careful about answering those posts on Craigslist!

I have to think that the sting was the result of several complaints about prostitution from people (wives?) in the community. If not, there is little chance that the department would put forth any effort to deal with the non-problem. In fact, most things that cops do are in response to complaints that we are never made aware of.

Charlie you know that the police enforce all laws. Yes, I know discretion is allowed but we don’t know all the circumstances. If the police received complaints from the community they’re obligated to take action. I commend our police department for being diligent in their duties, no matter how petty the offense.