Sheriff: Officers Must Have Sex With Prostitutes For Evidence

[The Straight Story]

Sheriff: Officers Must Have Sex With Prostitutes For Evidence

POSTED: 10:44 am EST February 14, 2006

SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. -- Undercover sex is getting the OK from a Virginia sheriff.

Spotsylvania County Sheriff Howard Smith said he stands by the practice of allowing detectives to receive sexual services in the course of their investigations so they can catch suspects in the act.

Court documents show that four times last month, county detectives allowed women at a massage parlor to perform sex acts on them. In one case, a lawman left a $350 tip. Smith acknowledged the practice is not new.

Smith told The Washington Post that only unmarried detectives are allowed to do the under-the-covers work.

He said actual sex acts are needed to help win prostitution convictions.

http://www.local6.com/news/7043931/detail.html

[AzDar]

1. Then aren't they criminals, too? n/t

[Momgonepostal]

17. Sounds like it...If you can arrest johns who aren't in law...

enforcement, why shouldn't johns who ARE in law enforcement be arrested?

[Hubert Flottz]

36. Everything changed after 9/11...

[LostinVA]

20. Yes, of course they are

No different than an undercover doing drugs, or if Donnie Brasco had whacked someone. Legally the same.

[caligirl]

2. OMFG!!

[oneighty]

38. Deleted-by owner

180

[ComerPerro]

3. Ok, you are on stakeout, you have traffic duty, and you

go find a hooker and have sex with her. Here's some cash!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

4. Lots of transfers into Spotsylvania Vice...

[Matariki]

5. sounds like the way they get FREE sexual favors from prostitutes n/t

[Kber]

23. If it's free, then it isn't illegal, is it though?

Or, if it's still prostitution, then not paying for the services is stealing.

[Matariki]

32. i was thinking more along the lines of threats and bribery

or the way police get free donuts.

[tanyev]

6. Holy Crap!

What if they are just dating someone? Is it still OK then?

[Arkansas Granny]

7. I'll bet they're going to be swamped with job applications.

:rofl:

[Lerkfish]

8. I'm curious how the patrolmen's wives feel about that!

[RebelOne]

16. Unmarried officers only

"Smith told The Washington Post that only unmarried detectives are allowed to do the under-the-covers work."

[LostinVA]

21. That's fornication! unbiblical!

This fucking state tells me I'm barely even a human being because I'm gay, and this? May the gods deliver us from hypocrites!

[converted_democrat]

9. No effing way...What country did I wake up in?? Will someone tell

me where the f I am.. I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, but I know I'm not living in America.. So where the f am I?

edited to remove the F word..

[MADem]

19. We all live in friken BIZZARRO WORLD, I am afraid

As a child, I was always taught that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

So why is it that two people, engaging in the same "crime" are not treated equally?

I'm not a particular fan of legalized prostitution, mainly because in so many instances the least of our brethren will gravitate to it simply because they lack other options, but that is just bullshit. Talk about twice-victimized!!!

[Crazy Dave]

10. It's almost the same here in my town

They spend hundreds of thousands of tax payer dollars every year casing out different "Bikini Clubs" with an average of about 20 officers going to the different clubs around town and observing for about six weeks at each one making sure the girls don't show too much.

In the mean time we have the highest murder rate in the state per population.

[sui generis]

11. dang - alla ya'll male men of the evening

are going to have some real fun with this, I can already tell.

I can just see the court hearings now. And how did you determine that Mr. X was a male prostitute? And do you have any "proof" of this?

Oh, just your word that you actually had sex with him to prove it? Because your boss said so? What about pictures? Oh. You were too busy. I can see that.

Why do they even waste time on this crap? Legalize it, regulate it, keep it safe. There's nothing magical or moral about it.

[leeroysphitz]

12. So could narcotics investigators in this jurisdiction

be excused for having a meth or heroin habit? I'd hate to see who they've got working on child sex abuse cases...

[atommom]

13. Riiiiiiiiiiight. If the money changed hands and sex acts

were promised, I'd argue that the men didn't need to go the extra mile. :eyes: Do their undercover drug detectives stay and smoke crack with the dealers after their transactions are made? This isn't any more necessary than that would be.

[peacebaby3]

14. Bullshit! They don't need to have sex with them to get evidence.

The answer is yes, they are criminals as well if they engage in prostitution which they are doing if they allow the hooker to perform the sexual act with/on them. As noted, one "officer" actually left a $350 tip. I think Sheriff Smith will be changing his policy very soon.

[tridim]

15. They also have to spend years looking at child porn...

...for evidence.

[derby378]

18. Talk about "taking one for the team!"

This is too wild.

[yodermon]

22. "Thanks for the blowjob, you're under arrest"?

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

[spuddonna]

24. I think I'm going to throw up...

"...a lawman left a $350 tip."

I have a question: Has the world always been this f'd up or did I just not notice before how badly corrupted we were as a nation?

[Solly Mack]

25. Howard Smith is a corrupt piece of shit - as are his "detectives"

who are nothing more than johns with a badge to hide behind

[ContraBass Black]

26. What happened to arrest when the money changes hands?

:wow:

[BushOut06]

27. I wonder if this applies to drugs as well

I'm afraid our officers are going to have to smoke that pot and snort that coke. Oh, and on those undercover hitman stings - I'm afraid you're actually going to have to actually kill the guy before we make the arrest.

[zbdent]

28. Clinton was just doing a "sting"

:evilgrin:

[eggman67]

29. Link to longer article

on the subject from WaPo:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/12/AR2006021200943_pf.html

Wow.

[WinkyDink]

30. Not true. The offer itself is the crime. Ask that movie director in drag.

Just some cops taking advantage. Period.

[FreedomAngel82]

31. I love how they say

it's only okay for the unmarried men (what if they have girlfriends or a fiance??) and it's for "work." LOL. Please. I can hear the argument now: "Oh no honey I wasn't cheating on you! It was work!!"

[MadHound]

33. Well that's just plain out wrong! What a bunch of happy horseshit!

My cousin worked vice for awhile during his law enforcement career, and he never, ever had to get serviced in order to get the bust. The offer alone is enough, exchange of money at most. But one doesn't need to have the follow through. This is just a sheriff who is doing some CYA for his deputies, and probably himself also.

In fact, I would imagine that if a cop actually did accept the services of a prostitute, it could irrepairably harm the prosecutors case.

[seabeyond]

34. what wife wouldnt be divorcing their cop husband n/t

[Johonny]

35. Isn't kinda

unsafe to be sleeping around with hookers? I hope these brave people get hazzard pay.

[Catherine Vincent]

37. Leave it to men, to create that rule.

:eyes: