19 jailed in Pasadena prostitution sting
PASADENA -- Eighteen men and one woman were arrested Wednesday during a prostitution sting along Colorado Boulevard, police said.
The police operation was carried out between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. along East Colorado Boulevard, where Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said prostitution is an ongoing problem.
"We receive regular complaints of this type of activity on the east side of town," he said.
To combat the problem, "Undercover officers posed as both prostitutes and customers in a sting operation for male and female participants," Delgado said.
All the men arrested were allegedly seeking purchase the services of a prostitute, while the woman was suspected of trying to offer sexual services for money, Delgado said.
Ten of the suspects were booked on suspicion of soliciting acts of prostitution, and nine were arrested for loitering for the purpose of prostitution, the lieutenant said.
The police operation was carried out between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. along East Colorado Boulevard, where Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said prostitution is an ongoing problem.
"We receive regular complaints of this type of activity on the east side of town," he said.
To combat the problem, "Undercover officers posed as both prostitutes and customers in a sting operation for male and female participants," Delgado said.
All the men arrested were allegedly seeking purchase the services of a prostitute, while the woman was suspected of trying to offer sexual services for money, Delgado said.
Ten of the suspects were booked on suspicion of soliciting acts of prostitution, and nine were arrested for loitering for the purpose of prostitution, the lieutenant said.
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
Well I am glad the cops have solved the gang problem and have time for this stuff.
What the police DON'T tell you, is that the majority of the people arrested for intent for prostitution were sitting in there cars and approached by undercover prostitutes. Some were eating their breakfasts and approached by undecover prostitutes as well. AND in all but 2 of the cases, no money or services were ever discussed or exchanged. The majority of the people arrested did no more than acknowledge the prostitue...i.e.: Saying excuse me? When asked "$60 for su?$ and fu?@" by the undercover prostitute.
It disgusts me that the Pasadena Police department would interrupt the lives of innocent people to meet a quota ($120 per person booked out) including the fees to get their vehicles out of impound. You disgust me Pasadena P.D.
I wonder where Lisa gets her info? Was she there on each and every arrest? There are no quotas and the police do not make money off of impounded vehicles. Perhaps anonymous would like to have the prostitutes working on his street like these Pasadena residents who have to put up with it everyday. The police department can't ignore all other crimes just because
there is an ongoing gang problem. They work on each of them with emphasis in those areas where the problems are continual. Each Pasadena resident deserves to have peace and enjoyment of the area in which they live.
Concerned Citizen,
The police DO INDEED have quota's. In several different areas of their job. This is a FACT. And I never said the police got $$ for impound fees. They do get $$ for book out fees.
Prostitution is illegal and apparently a problem in Pasadena. I just feel that they way they went about the sting was a joke and their tactics were in my opinion 99% entrapment. And since when did peak prostitution hours become 7am to 1 pm. They should have been focusing on actual John's looking for legitimate "transactions" rather than innocent people trying to get to their jobs and being rushed by an undercover prostitute trying to make her quota. That's my opinion based on fact and I'm sticking to it.
The police DO INDEED have quotas and this is FACT. I'm sorry the beautiful city of Pasadena has a prostitution problem, but the way these officers went about it was all wrong. Instead of busting actual John's making legitimate "transactions", these officers interruped men and women on their way to work, or wherever else while simply getting out of their cars and acknowledging a prostitute who walked up to them. Some of these people were actually eating breakfast when approached by this undercover officer. The police ended up filling their cells with innocent men and women to meet their quota, while putting no real effort into catching legitimate offenders. In regards to this particular sting the Pasadena Police Department behaved Lazily and shamefully in my opinion.
As someone who has run these type of stings I find Lisa's comments laughable. Even back in the 80's and 90's we recorded our undercovers in these types of operation, the D.A.'s office expected that or cases wouldn't be filed. I'm sure that hasn't changed. If the u/c's walked up to customers and just blurted out how much it was for certain sexual acts than none of these arrests would have been made.
Having been involved in u/c operations in many SGV cities I never witnessed anything close to being entrapment at any time and we had no quotas. Is Lisa maybe related to someone who got arrested and buying their story?
My husband was arrested and after hearing your insight from experience I'm sickened. Guess the sick, sad joke is on me.
I don't know what to believe anymore. PD won't give me a copy of the police report and I need some kind of truth. I would think the wives would be the first to get a report/recording. Everything is crumbling around me and I just need something confirming his actions. I don't know where to go or what to do from here anymore. It sickens and saddens me to think my husband is a possible prostitue pick up kind of person.
My husband was arrested and after hearing your insight from experience I'm sickened. Guess the sick, sad joke is on me.
I don't know what to believe anymore. PD won't give me a copy of the police report and I need some kind of truth. I would think the wives would be the first to get a report/recording. Everything is crumbling around me and I just need something confirming his actions. I don't know where to go or what to do from here anymore. It sickens and saddens me to think my husband is a possible prostitue pick up kind of person.
My husband was arrested and after hearing your insight from experience I'm sickened. Guess the sick, sad joke is on me.
I don't know what to believe anymore. PD won't give me a copy of the police report and I need some kind of truth. I would think the wives would be the first to get a report/recording. Everything is crumbling around me and I just need something confirming his actions. I don't know where to go or what to do from here anymore. It sickens and saddens me to think my husband is a possible prostitue pick up kind of person.
There appears to be an unusually high amount of press and media attention given to "the world's oldest profession" & their customers recently. One has to wonder why all the sudden fuss. It is a fact that from time to time law enforcement will "crack down" on certain types of "crime". This time the crackdown is focused upon a "crime" which has been around almost since Adam & Eve.
IMO, focusing that kind of media attention on what in reality is a very minor problem in the scheme of things is a major waste of time & effort. Would that the media had bigger fish to fry.