Mesa to overhaul massage-parlor law to curb prostitution
Mesa to overhaul massage-parlor law to curb prostitution.
5/7/2015- In a city with nearly one massage parlor per square mile, it can be tough to consistently sift out and penalize bad actors. But Mesa believes it has devised a new law that will do just that.
Mesa believes it has devised a new massage-establishment ordinance that will do just that, allowing police to identify parlors offering illicit sexual services.
"It's a complete overhaul," Assistant Police Chief Deanna xxxx said as she presented the City Council with the rewritten law in late April. "We didn't just make minor changes. It is an absolutely brand-new ordinance. ".
The law, which the council is expected to approve later this month, would forbid:
Conducting massages after 10 pm.
Conducting massages on exposed clients.
Refusing inspections.
Conducting massages behind a locked door, with exceptions for one-room facilities.
Offering massages without a massage license or massage-establishment license bearing the correct names.
Using a massage facility as sleeping quarters.
"We wanted folks passing by, including law enforcement, to be able to look into the business and see what was going on, to be able to see the transaction area," xxxxxx said. "It really does deter criminal activity if they know that they can be seen inside, (especially) if they're doing a robbery or a homicide or anything like that. And we have had those happen at our massage establishments in the past. ".
Revisions adopted in 2010 similarly imposed several new rules on parlor operators, and for a while, they appeared to be working. Police in 2012 reported fewer complaints about massage parlors, saying the added regulations seemed to have driven some shady operations out of town.
By last spring, though, police said certain parlors had found ways to make the minimum changes required to pass inspections without actually ceasing to offer illegal services.
With the blessing of the council's public-safety committee, police consulted representatives from the City Prosecutor's Office; the Tax and Licensing Department; anti-human-trafficking organizations; the massage industry; and a group of concerned citizens who reported their partners had received sexual services at Mesa parlors to develop the new law.
"Some parts of our earlier ordinance, while well-intended, did not work well in practice, or created issues in court, or simply were difficult for establishments to comply with in a practical sense," Vice Mayor Dennis xxxxx said via e-mail. "I think this latest variation on regulation emphasizes our goals to eliminate illegal operations and prostitution, but not at the cost of harming legitimate operators. ".
As he told city staff last month: "I think this goes a very long way. Toward telling the bad guys, 'These are the rules. You don't like them, you've got to leave. ' ".
[URL]http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2015/05/07/mesa-overhaul-massage-parlor-law-curb-prostitution/70893352/[/URL]
Golden Spa losing it's shine?
Checked out the "Golden" the other day. Seems there really has been a change of management as seen in the Backpage ads. I immediately noticed different Mamasan than before. She reminded me of a Korean version of the.
Girl from Scooby Doo with the short hair and glasses. Anyways. Quality of the talent I saw was also way down. Maybe if was an aberration. Will try again soon.
Golden is on Elliot and McClintock. NW corner. Standard entry fees.
Total waste of taxpayers money
[QUOTE=DavePHX;2462715]Mesa to overhaul massage-parlor law to curb prostitution.
5/7/2015- In a city with nearly one massage parlor per square mile, it can be tough to consistently sift out and penalize bad actors. But Mesa believes it has devised a new law that will do just that.
Mesa believes it has devised a new massage-establishment ordinance that will do just that, allowing police to identify parlors offering illicit sexual services.
"It's a complete overhaul," Assistant Police Chief Deanna xxxx said as she presented the City Council with the rewritten law in late April. "We didn't just make minor changes. It is an absolutely brand-new ordinance. ".
The law, which the council is expected to approve later this month, would forbid:
Conducting massages after 10 pm.
Conducting massages on exposed clients.
Refusing inspections.
Conducting massages behind a locked door, with exceptions for one-room facilities.
Offering massages without a massage license or massage-establishment license bearing the correct names.
Using a massage facility as sleeping quarters.
"We wanted folks passing by, including law enforcement, to be able to look into the business and see what was going on, to be able to see the transaction area," xxxxxx said. "It really does deter criminal activity if they know that they can be seen inside, (especially) if they're doing a robbery or a homicide or anything like that. And we have had those happen at our massage establishments in the past. ".
Revisions adopted in 2010 similarly imposed several new rules on parlor operators, and for a while, they appeared to be working. Police in 2012 reported fewer complaints about massage parlors, saying the added regulations seemed to have driven some shady operations out of town.
By last spring, though, police said certain parlors had found ways to make the minimum changes required to pass inspections without actually ceasing to offer illegal services.
With the blessing of the council's public-safety committee, police consulted representatives from the City Prosecutor's Office; the Tax and Licensing Department; anti-human-trafficking organizations; the massage industry; and a group of concerned citizens who reported their partners had received sexual services at Mesa parlors to develop the new law.
"Some parts of our earlier ordinance, while well-intended, did not work well in practice, or created issues in court, or simply were difficult for establishments to comply with in a practical sense," Vice Mayor Dennis xxxxx said via e-mail. "I think this latest variation on regulation emphasizes our goals to eliminate illegal operations and prostitution, but not at the cost of harming legitimate operators. ".
As he told city staff last month: "I think this goes a very long way. Toward telling the bad guys, 'These are the rules. You don't like them, you've got to leave. ' ".
[URL]http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/mesa/2015/05/07/mesa-overhaul-massage-parlor-law-curb-prostitution/70893352/[/URL][/QUOTE]Total waste of time by our conviction hungry government. Plan and simple a victimless crime is no crime at all. Quit wasting taxpayers money. Much more needs to be righted by our government, but insist on wasting time with this issue.
