Washington, DC: Vacation with Caution – The Cops are on the prowl!
Well, it’s summer vacation and the nations capital will once again play host to millions of visitors coming to see all the things that they’ve always heard about. Students come on field trips; veterans come to visit the old war memorials; the seats of government and industry in town are other favorites and there’s the ever present mall with all the great museums and places of interests. DC is truly an incredible place to visit, offering almost everything that a visitor would be looking for from history, to culture, to sports, to relaxation, politics and more. Not only that, but there’s a lot of regional side trips you can take if you’re visiting DC: Baltimore’s inner harbor, Annapolis, Northern Virginia, Harper’s Ferry are but a few of the regional venues that people go to while visiting the nation’s capital.
But if you come to DC, you need to be aware of one other item. DC Cops. Specifically, the antiprostitution unit of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Now, like many of you readers, I was raised that the cop was your friend. I’ve believed it all my life, and that’s more than a couple decades. I taught it to my kid as well. So, if I hadn’t heard this with my own ears and been in the audience during this presentation, I wouldn’t have believed it. And I’m still in shock!
Several weeks ago, I had occasion to sit in on a presentation given by several officers from the DC prostitute prevention squad. These are the guys that go out and book hookers and try to bust johns and john wannabe’s. During their presentation, they explained some of the tactics that are used to snare people that would be looking for a prostitute.
Now, before I go any further, let me make it clear that the statue of the law in DC is incredibly clear and plain in terms of what constitutes the illegal acts of solicitation for prostitution, prostitution and offering prostitution. The statue is very clear that these are illegal acts. I really don’t have a problem with that.
My problem comes with how DC cops choose to ensnare victims.
Let’s look at a very real case hypothetical. Let’s say that you did take a side trip up to Baltimore, perhaps caught a ballgame at the yard, dinner in Little Italy and now it’s 10:30 in the evening and you’re on you way back downtown to your hotel. You booked your hotel in DC because it was the most centrally located to all you wanted to see and do. Anyway, you’re making your way back to DC, you exit on New York Avenue and are thinking you’ll drive over, slip down North Capital and you’ll be almost to your hotel. Now, for those that may not understand DC roads, New York Avenue is a major artery in DC. This is a 4-6 lane road that is generally well traveled and very busy.
You come to the intersection on NY and Bladensburg road. The light is red so you stop. While waiting for the light to flip green, there’s a knock on your window. To you total amazement, there’s a lady standing there that makes Halle Berry, Marisa Miller and Heidi Klum, combined, look like the mythical Medusa. Stunned at this beauty, you open your window in response to the knock.
This is your first mistake. The person you may be very likely opening the window to is an undercover DC cop. It’s her job to entice you to even consider the offer she’s going to make you. Should you even consider it, you’re going to get arrested. Should you accept it, you’re also going to jail.
Now, let’s review quickly what I mean by “consider”. Let’s presume she presents her case that she should provide a sex act for you for a certain fee. You say no. But, she responds with something like “Don’t you think I’m worth it?” – complete with the appropriate pouts, smiles and every other taunting bit of sexuality she can muster, after all, she’s been trained well to do this. If you say anything except “NO” to her answer, you’re probably going to get busted for solicitation.
If you even are curious and ask if she’s a cop, she will look you in the eye and with the training of a skilled actor lie to you telling you that she’s not.
So, let’s do a quick recap here: You’re sitting alone and the undercover officer comes to you and initiates a conversation and initiates an offer for sex for payment. Up until this point, you were on your way back to your hotel and chances are, a hooker wasn’t even on your mind, until she knocked on your door window. Much less, one that will eagerly and blatantly misrepresent the facts.
According to the statute, she has broken the law. Ethically and morally, I would classify this as unethical police behavior in the attempt of entrapment of someone for a crime that they wouldn’t have committed without police presence initiating the event. After all, she, a sworn law enforcement officer, came to you and initiated a misdemeanor action, hoping to get you to give her an answer that could be used to arrest you and take you to jail.
No, I’m not joking. This is serious.
When asked how he could flagrantly and willfully break the statute’s letter and intent of law, the officer replied “we have case law on our side.” He then went into a short description about a 25 or so year old case in which DC cops solicited a known hooker downtown and busted her. This was referred to by him as the “Dinkins Case”. Now, I’ve not been able to find the case references but according to the officer’s presentation, the conviction and methods used were upheld on appeal and cops in DC are now able use these methods to arrest people.
The first question that hit me was: how can I trust the testimony of an officer on the stand when they would so eagerly and willfully lie and misrepresent the facts on the street? Frankly, if I’m ever on a jury, it will be hard for me to do so.
So, next time you’re driving in downtown DC, be careful. That could be a cop wanting to arrest you while you’re waiting for the light to change.
You may want to consider staying in Virginia instead of downtown. It may be safer. It may be a lot cheaper. You may not go to jail for simply talking to someone who knocked on your window at a red light.
I’m not sure that actual crime in DC has increased, but clearly, arrests and convictions are on the rise.
I’m Don Rima and that’s the way I see it, From Where I Stand.
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