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An ex-vice cop tells you
all about 'victimless' crime
of TheColumnists.com
Since Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer hooked up with a hooker and wrecked his political career, the media once again has shined its big light on the oldest profession.
Sooner or later someone always asks the burning question, “Is prostitution a victimless crime?” I have an answer for you. And I think I know what I'm talking about, too. As a former Chicago police sergeant who worked most of my career in the Vice Control Division's Prostitution Unit, I have handed over more money to prostitutes than ex-Gov. Spitzer ever dreamed of doing.
Yes (sigh!), it’s true: I’ve bought more hooker time than all the customers at the Bunny Ranch whorehouse in Nevada put together!
As a Vice Cop, my nightly duty was to go out and get the evidence on prostitutes, pimps, and madams who were operating within the city limits of Chicago and arrest them. I took my job seriously and I did it well. My former commanders would tell you I was one of the best-ever undercover prostitution investigators. But enough about me, let me give you a peek into where the real “victim” is in prostitution.
On its face, it seems like nobody is harmed when one adult person gives another adult person money in return for sex. I mean, if they are both consenting adults, where’s the rub, right? Well let me tell you where the “rub” is.
Let’s start with the prostitute: Whether the prostitute is female or male, having sex with numerous other people is medically dangerous to their lives. AIDS is a known killer and it’s rampant among hookers. I don’t care how careful anyone thinks they can be with bodily fluids, AIDS is still with us and it’s infecting and killing prostitutes daily. So if numerous deaths are the end result of prostitution, surely, this alone makes my case that prostitution is not a victimless crime.
If you want more evidence that prostitution has a victim attached to it, just ask former Gov. Eliot Spitzer! I’ll bet the farm that he does not think prostitution is a victimless crime. Spitzer has lots of company who feel the same way. He knows well the evils that a simple prostitution deal can bring into an otherwise terrific life.
The man who replaced Spitzer as governor of New York even took certain precautions in a press statement after being sworn in to his new office. Right up front, he admitted his own--and his wife’s--extra marital affairs. This was smart in case somebody in the know was planning to extort some money or favors from him in order to keep quiet.
Extortion is a crime that often starts with the prostitution act. Let's say a guy with a lot to lose in his personal and business life buys the services of a hooker. The hooker and her “associates” secretly videotape the guy having sex with her. Soon after, “this man of worth” is invited to a screening of a new flick starring “him”. These criminals than proceed to negotiate a price for the master tape.
It could also be something other than money, like a top secret of our great USA somebody wants to hand over to a foreign government. Or a corporate secret somebody wants to steal for the competition. It could even be something as simple as the extortionist wants a job promotion. The latter occurs way more than you would think. Get the goods on your boss and write your own ticket! I knew a guy who got the goods on a civil service board person and was promoted all the way to police captain!
Some hookers also have other useful talents, such as thievery. When my wife, Ann Jillian, was working in musical theater in Chicago with a famous director. I got to know the guy and liked him. He knew I was a Chicago cop, so he told me about this incident that happened to him: One night he was walking back to his hotel room and was hit on by a streetwalker, who quoted him a price. He took her up to his hotel room and took care of business. Afterward, he was tired, so he drowsed off to sleepyville in his birthday suit. When he woke up the following morning, his wallet was gone and so were his $7,500 wristwatch, two rings of great sentimental value and his room key.
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in an outfit calculated to appeal to kinky "johns." We have erased her genital area to avoid upsetting our more timid readers. Or you might wish to imagine that is what could happen to one's genital area after contracting various sexually transmitted diseases. |
This director was not married and was wealthy enough to sustain the monetary loss, but still didn’t make a police report for fear of soiling his reputation.
This is a common occurrence. Most of these thefts are not reported for fear of bad press. The credit cards are used very quickly by the pimp or madam, and the credit card companies just pass their losses on to us, the customers. So in essence, we all get robbed!
Keep in mind that this hooker took the director’s room key so that she could return to his room and steal from him as he slept. With the crime not reported, you might check into that room next and become the next victim of a "victimless" crime because the hooker or her pimp might have sold the key to a hotel room burglar. It occurs everyday. How many burglaries this one key stolen by a hooker will cause (or other crimes such as rape, assaults, etc.) are anyone’s guess.
Another time a famous singer who was playing Chicago called police to report that someone had burglarized his hotel room while he was performing. I went to the singer’s suite and listened to his list of missing jewelry, etc. I asked him if anyone had been in his suite besides him? He quickly said “no”.
Then I told him I had stopped at the front desk before coming to his room and interviewed the clerk, who told me the singer had not one, but two women with him when he went up to his suite. The singer sat down on his bed, held his head in his hands and admitted he had paid two hookers for sex and discovered his loss only after they had left.
He was red faced and wanted to lay his loss on the hotel insurance policy since he knew nobody would pay off if they knew he brought two hookers into his suite. Besides, it was not good publicity for a guy who was known as a handsome lady-killer on stage.
So, next time you complain that your hotel room costs so much, think of how much the prostitutes cost hotels in phony insurance claims that are only passed on to you, the consumer.
How about the pimp, madam, and prostitute whose dollar is worth a hundred cents and yours, after you pay taxes, is worth about 66 cents or less? Prostitutes don’t pay taxes on their income but you and I do. Look at how high on the hog that prostitute “Kristen” (of Spitzer fame), is living in New York City in her fancy apartment building. I hope the IRS gives her the same humping that they would give you or me if we ever dared to beat “whiskers” out of collecting the taxes we owe. Can you imagine how much lower our income taxes might be if every occupation paid income taxes, too?
Add to all this, the fact that everyday
many street-type prostitutes and their customers are being beaten,
robbed, freaked, and murdered. Young girls and boys are being
led down this terrible prostitution road by criminals who hook
them up with drugs, rap and hard rock music, and some stupid
clothing outfit. What parent wants to raise a kid for this purpose?
Surely, none of us raise our babies to be tortured by some lazy
bastard called a pimp/madam who won’t work a real job.
Remember that old movie “Joe” about a father who, among
other things, wound up killing the pimp who had his daughter.
This was only a movie but, trust me, murderous fathers and brothers
have turned up more than you know–all as an end result to
that “victimless” crime called “prostitution”.
Chicago is a big convention town. As soon as the “boyz” get out of those boring meetings, they head for Rush Street. Hooker gangs (two or more hookers) will usher one of the convention guys into a dark doorway and while they rub the guys body parts, they are also picking his pockets. Can you imagine how many stolen wallet reports hotels get later from this trick?
Let me add this: How many innocent wives (or husbands) are given sexually transmitted diseases as a result of a partner who plays with prostitutes? More than we will ever know because the parties hush it up to salvage some sort of reputation-- after the divorce, that is. This type of conduct causes many, many divorces leaving kids without a parent. Victimless?
My specialty (if you can call it that) as a vice cop, was going after the pimps and madams in Chicago. I was first to hand-pick rookie policewomen to impersonate female prostitutes so as to get good evidence of pimps who hit on them. We made numerous cases using the “pandering” statute, which is a felony under Illinois law. Along with the testimony of the undercover policewoman, we sent quite a few to state prison.
I’ve arrested many pimps who use fear to get young people into the life by beating them into hooking. I’ve seen first hand the results of how disfigured skin looks after being whipped unmercifully. The pimp takes a coat hanger and bends it to become his whip. He then heats it up in the oven and uses a potholder for his hand as he whips the poor, dumb girl or boy. The pimp is yelling at them during the beating, “get me my money”!
The pimps also lock these young people (who were already cards short of a full deck) in dark closets before or after whipping them. And you thought prostitution was all call girls and fancy high-rise hotels and sexy gowns and cocktails? Think again. Most of the hookers are ugly, their bodies poorly shaped, and in serious need of clean underwear.
Just look at the women on that HBO show about a real whorehouse in Nevada. Just imagine them without the make up and the soft focus camera lens. Go in for the close up and you’d be surprised some of those broads don’t bark! Shame on the presence of that ugly, fat-ass guy who runs the place. Someone ought to make that dude get a real job--or, better yet, have him service the repulsive people who patronize the joint. Shame on HBO for putting crap like that on TV. If it were not for HBO’s boxing broadcasts, I’d dump my subscription forthwith.
Let me know if you need more evidence that prostitution is a crime that comes with a slew of victims, as I’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg here. In future columns I intend to go into detail on the various ways prostitutes operate–such as “call operations”, “tavern prostitution”, “and “streetwalkers”.
Lastly, I will reveal who is making the real money from prostitution and why it can’t be eradicated but only controlled.
©2008 by Andy Murcia. The auto hooker
photo is from Loren Chirstensen's book "Hookers, Tricks
and Cops." The kinky girl photo is from a web site where
internet users may find prostitutes online. The Murcia carciature
is ©2003 by Jim Hummel. This column first posted March 24,
2008.
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