CORPUS CHRISTI — Corpus Christi police are considering giving new life to a program that would post photos online of people charged with prostitution.

Officials announced in September 2004 that offenders' pictures would be posted on the department's Web site after its next prostitution sting to discourage would-be "johns" from hitting the street. That plan was shelved after the department's legal counsel reviewed it, said Cmdr. Brian Uhler.

But police again are considering publicly identifying those who solicit prostitutes to reduce what authorities describe as a constant, migrating problem within the city.

"In addition to stepped-up enforcement, we're considering less-traditional methods," said Capt. Jay Vesely. "Prostitution is the world's oldest profession, and Corpus Christi certainly is not spared from it."

Enforcement alone, such as police stings in a concentrated area, typically temporarily forces prostitution to a different part of town, he said. Publishing pictures might make people think twice about soliciting.

There is no set timeline for approving the plan, in part because the department is considering unwanted side effects of Web posting. A legal review and command staff consensus would be required before moving forward, and officials wouldn't speculate on a possible start date if final approval is given.

"We also have to think about some of these guys' wives or children suffering harassment because of this," Uhler said.

Prostitution, where a person solicits another to engage in sexual conduct for hire, is a Class B misdemeanor on the first offense. Punishment can be 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine. A fourth conviction raises the penalty to a state jail felony punishable by as many as two years in jail and a possible $10,000 fine.

Officers likely would permanently post pictures on the department's Web site, Vesely said. Most people arrested for prostitution in Corpus Christi are found in police stings with a police officer either posing as a prostitute or someone who solicits prostitutes.

The biggest cost for publishing photos would be with officers' time being used to upload photos.

Officers average one sting every two to three months, police said. The department has identified about 30 women who have been arrested repeatedly for prostitution, said special operations division Lt. Heidi Frese.

Most of the women working the street are between 17 and 50 years old, she said, and often are battling drug and alcohol addiction.

Publishing photos and names of people charged with soliciting prostitution is not unprecedented. Several Texas cities, including the Arlington and Dallas police departments, post the pictures and names of people caught soliciting prostitutes on the departments' Web sites. In 2004, during the first 24 hours Dallas police posted pictures and names of johns online, the Web page received 4,100 hits.

Nationwide, Denver, St. Paul, Minn. and Raleigh, N.C., have used similar strategies for combatting prostitution.

 Discuss this article on the forums. (0 posts)

Do you think Men will ever stop wanting to fulfill sexual urges and will women ever get the help they need to survive in this country?