BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Police arrest...
BRIEFLY IN
THE NEWS
Police arrest five in prostitution roundup
The Costa Mesa Police Department’s efforts to crack down on
prostitution paid off Monday night when officials netted a handful of
arrests.
Five arrests were made in the areas of Harbor and MacArthur
boulevards, said Costa Mesa Police Sgt. Robert Phillips.
Officials said they noticed a slight increase in prostitution last
week and decided to more actively pursue suspects before residents
started complaining, he said.
“We were out there looking for prostitutes, and we found
prostitutes,” said Phillips, who serves as the department’s sergeant
of vice. “When we experience warm weather, the activity on the street
is a little more prevalent.”
Phillips said the suspects appear to be a combination of “circuit
girls” -- who hang out in Costa Mesa one week and somewhere else the
next -- and locals.
Officials have been trying to deter prostitution by harshly
treating the women arrested, taking their clothes as evidence and
giving them paper jumpsuits to wear instead.
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