DENVERβIn a bid to crack down on an increase in prostitution, Lakewood is following the cities of Denver and Aurora by requiring legitimate escort services to be licensed. It allows police to go after prostitutes operating under the guise of an escort service. Licensing requires a background check and fingerprinting. Through March 4, Lakewood police had made 22 arrests for pimping or pandering a prostitute, compared to 12 arrests in all of There also have been 12 prostitution arrests.
Police blame the increase on the recession, and say more prostitution activity is being arranged through the Internet. In January, Lakewood police posted decoy ads for erotic services on Craigslist and arrested 26 people who responded to those ads in a two-day sting operation.
In February, Lakewood police rescued two year-old girls working in the sex trade, he said. A third was rescued in December. Internet ads make it easier for pimps to solicit underage girls. Struck recently pulled about 30 ads for escorts off Craigslist. He said half of them were for underage girls advertised as 18 or older. More in News.
