Dear Baltimore City Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm, Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan, Anne Arundel Police Chief Tom Shanahan, Carroll County Sheriff Kenneth Tregoning, Howard County Police Chief William McMahon and Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding:
In Thursday?s editorial, “Legalize prostitution for sake of women,” we asked why law enforcement does not treat men and women equally when it comes to prostitution.
Technically, they face the same penalties ? a maximum of one year in jail or a $500 fine or both. But why, for example, is Brandy Britton, the former University of Maryland, Baltimore County assistant professor, on trial for prostitution, and not the men who could afford her $300 per hour services? Why is her face flashed before the media, and not those who make escort services like hers possible? Why are women who walk the streets so often arrested and not those who buy their services? In 2005, 1,387 women were arrested and 511 men for prostitution-related crime in Maryland.
Is that what our penal system calls equal treatment before the law? Regardless, statistics show current prostitution-fighting methods have not eliminated the practice. Common sense says they never will, so long as the demand exists.
Some say it?s impossible to reduce demand. We disagree. People said it was impossible to find deadbeat parents who did not pay child support.
But printing the names, addresses and photos in the newspaper and online of those who fail to support their children has helped to make them abide by the law. Why not apply the same techniques to those charged with soliciting prostitutes? We think it is worth the effort to see if the prospect of public shame deters men from making the same mistake again and stops those considering doing it in the first place. Who wants family, employers and friends to know about such seedy behavior?
To aid you in this endeavor, we would be willing to make a full page available free each month to publish the names, addresses and pictures of prostitution customers you have charged. We would leave blank spaces for the nonparticipating governmental units, encouraging citizens to complain to them for tolerating the exploitation of women and lack of commitment to ending this practice.
Please contact Marta Hummel at [email protected] to discuss how we can work together. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
The Examiner
For your information
Let law enforcement know your opinion on this issue. Call:
» Baltimore City Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm: 410-396-2040
» Baltimore County Police Chief Terrence Sheridan: 410-887-2214
» Anne Arundel Police Chief Tom Shanahan: 410-222-8050
» Carroll County Sheriff Kenneth Tregoning: 410-386-2900
» Howard County Police Chief William McMahon: 410-313-3200
» Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding: 410-836-5400
