RES-2014-166 RESOLUTION NO. 2014-156
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, TO
REDUCE PROSTITUTION AND PROSTITUTION-RELATED CRIMES BY PUBLISHING
THE NAMES OF INDIVIDUALS CONVICTED OF SOLICITING PROSTITUTION IN THE
CITY OF ANAHEIM AND CONTINUING TO LEAD THE ORANGE COUNTY HUMAN
TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE
WHEREAS, prostitution and the solicitation of prostitutes are a threat to the health, safety
and general welfare of the City and are prohibited by California State law; and
WHEREAS, prostitution contributes to higher rates of crime by attracting strangers and
criminals to areas where prostitution occurs, according to the 2006 "Street Prostitution, 2nd
Edition," report from the Washington, DC Office of Community Oriented Policing Services,
U.S. Department of Justice ("Street Prostitution Report"); and
WHEREAS, street prostitution and street drug markets are often linked, and prostitution
may provide the seedbed for organized crime, according to the Street Prostitution Report.
Further, the congregation of prostitutes creates parking and traffic problems; and
WHEREAS, in places where prostitution exists, crime contributes to the blight of the area
and speeds its decline, according to the Street Prostitution Report; and
WHEREAS, prostitution may also harm the area's economy; legitimate businesses may
lose customers who avoid the area because of prostitution. The presence of prostitutes
may also reduce property values and limit property use; and
WHEREAS, prostitution and criminal activity related to prostitution result in a drain on
police services resources; and
WHEREAS, there is a growing awareness that some prostitutes are victims of human
trafficking; and
WHEREAS, human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, according to the "2012
Human Trafficking Fact Sheet," published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the
purpose of commercial sex, debt bondage, or forced labor. They are young children,
teenagers, men and women; and
WHEREAS, human trafficking is an estimated $32 billion-a-year global industry, according
to a 2012 "Human Trafficking in Califomia" report from the State Department of Justice.
After drug trafficking, human trafficking is the world's second most profitable criminal
enterprise, a status it shares with illegal arms trafficking. Like drug and arms trafficking, the
United States is one of the top destination countries for trafficking in persons. California — a
populous border state with a significant immigrant population and the world's ninth largest
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economy — is one of the nation's top four destination states for trafficking human beings;
and
WHEREAS, to effectively combat prostitution and human trafficking, the focus must not
only be on sex workers, but also the individuals who solicit prostitution; and
WHEREAS, those who solicit prostitutes are more easily deterred than prostitutes. Johns
— or persons who solicit sex — are more readily ashamed of their behavior and fear harming
their public reputation and/or their standing in their personal lives. Consequently, they fear
being identified publicly more than being fined for their conduct, according to the Street
Prostitution Report; and
WHEREAS, surveys and anecdotal evidence lend support to this argument, as does a
body of criminology literature on the effects of extralegal sanctions on deterrence,
according to studies cited in, "A Nafional Overview of Prosfitution and Sex Trafficking
Demand Reduction Efforts, Final Reporf" (2012). For example, when asked to name
tactics that would deter men from buying sex, having identities publicly circulated was listed
most frequently. In one study, a majority of inen listed "photo and or name in local paper"
in response to the question, "What would deter you from buying sex?"; and
WHEREAS, cities and law enforcement agencies across the country have turned to
publicizing the identities of persons who solicit prostitutes as a way to deter prostitution and
solicitation. For example, the Orange County District Attorney's Office began an effort last
year to publish the names of convicted "sex purchasers"; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to join the effort to raise awareness and combat the crimes of
prostitution, human trafficking, and solicitation to deter crime, to improve the City's
economy, and most importantly, to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of its
residents.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1: In an effort to protect the general health, safety and welfare of residents and
businesses in the City of Anaheim, the City will seek to eradicate prostitution and related
crimes, including crimes related to human trafficking, by regularly publicizing the names of
defendants convicted of sexually exploiting prostitutes by soliciting sex acts.
SECTION 2: The City, and the Anaheim Police Department as the lead agency of the
Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, will work in partnership with the Orange
County District Attorney's Human Exploitation and Trafficking ("HEAT") Unit to identify,
apprehend and prosecute perpetrators who sexually exploit and traffic people for financial
gain.
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THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION is approved and adopted by the City Council of the City
of Anaheim this 23rd day of September , 2014, by the following roll call vote:
AYES: �Yor Tait, Council Members Eastman, Murray, Brandma.n and Kring
NOES: None
ABSENT: �ne
ABSTAIN: None
CITY OF ANAHEIM
�
M OR OF THE CITY OF ANAHEIM
ATTEST:
CITY ERK O THE TY OF ANAHEIM
103678v.4
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