Prostitution has suddenly become a more prominent crime during the past month, originally involving a bust at the Rock Springs Motel 6, and over the weekend with a sting operation conducted by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office. While prostitution is a crime, we’re not sure if it should be a major focus for area law enforcement.
Ignoring the moral arguments against the activity, we admit there are good reasons why a crackdown on prostitution would benefit the community. Those who engage in unsafe sexual practices can contract a variety of sexually transmitted infections and a prostitute engaging with clients in an unsafe manner can become very effective in spreading a disease. Also, prostitution can come with a number of other criminal activities and can be tied with drug abuse in some cases.
Yet, our community has larger problems than those stemming from prostitution. The obvious problem, of course, involves drug abuse and crimes stemming from that. Drug addiction can lead to a variety of crimes, such as burglary. Drugs have been a problem here for a number of years and a heavy focus on drug-related crimes would do more to cut crime in Sweetwater County than on crimes related to prostitution.
The sting conducted by the sheriff’s office seems poorly targeted itself. If one were to truly impact prostitution activities in Sweetwater County, the prostitutes and their panderers themselves make the ideal focus. If the arrests focused on providers, and continued pressure was placed on them, they would start passing Sweetwater County and set up shop elsewhere along Interstate 80. A sting affecting only those who purchase sexual services is short sighted at best because it ignores the root of the issue, that some see county as a great place to sell sex. Targeting the prostitutes and panderers would be the ideal way of discouraging the sale of sex. Impact the supply and those who make up the demand would travel elsewhere. It’s Economics 101.
However, we’re not entirely sure if a large demand exists in Sweetwater County. Of the six men arrested for solicitation this weekend, only one came from Rock Springs. During the arrests between the Rock Springs Police Department and the Wyoming Highway Patrol, all three arrested are county residents. Prior to those arrests, the last arrest involving prostitution occurred in 2008.
We support the efforts the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office, as well as other law enforcement agencies within the county, make to keep us safe. However, we don’t think prostitution is as serious a problem as other criminal activity in the county.
If it is, we would suggest they go after the providers themselves because that would have a greater impact on the issue.
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