Sheriff Uses Craigslist To Arrest Prostitutes... Blames Craigslist
from the cognitive-dissonance? dept
Reader cKarlGo points us to a story in Florida of local police arresting 28 women and six men on prostitution-related charges, after finding them all on Craigslist. They then used phone and email to negotiate with the women in order to confirm that they were selling sexual acts. Afterwards, they made the arrests. But here's the kicker: the sheriff is still blaming Craigslist:"How can Craigslist allow this kind of content on their (Web) site and then state "We're not involved in any kind of criminal conduct,""Well, it's actually quite simple. I would imagine that, right now, somewhere in Sheriff Grady Judd's jurisdiction, there are other prostitutes walking the streets. By Judd's own logic, I should be asking why Polk County is involved in criminal conduct. After all, it's happening in his jurisdiction. It's just that it's happening on the street. Or it might be on Craigslist. But it's neither the fault of the street nor Craigslist -- which is nothing more than a virtual street.
But, more to the point, why isn't Sheriff Judd also blaming the telephone company and his internet provider? After all, Judd used three tools to find and communicate with these prostitutes: Craigslist, email and the telephone. The phone company allowed the prostitutes to make phone calls. Internet providers allowed the prostitutes to email. By Judd's logic they're "involved in criminal activity."
In the meantime, what kind of thought process does it take to use a tool to help you crack down on prostitution, and then blame it for the prostitution? How hard is it for Sheriff Judd to recognize that Craigslist is an incredibly useful tool for his staff to find and arrest prostitutes. You would think that having just used the tool for that very purpose he might realize that it's a great tool for catching prostitutes. So why is he blaming it?
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Filed Under: blame, florida, grady judd, polk county, prostitution
Companies: craigslist
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Dumb Pigs
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Re: Dumb Pigs
For instance, how to spell the word "kindergarten"?
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Re: Re: Dumb Pigs
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Re: Dumb Pigs
I too blame Craig's List. They could shut down this portion of the site and not encourage illegal activity.
I would hope that you think before posting such garbage in the future. Thank you.
A concerned citizen.
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Re: Re: Dumb Pigs
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Re: Re: Dumb Pigs
You said it yourself, Law enforcement has limited tools, and criminals have virtually unlimited tools. Why take away one of the tools law enforcement can use (The Sheriff admits to USING craigslist to STOP some crime from happening...)??
Also, craigslist doesn't encourage any illegal activity, they don't have advertisements saying "Use our site to sell sex!" In fact, I've never seen an advertisement for Craigslist, and I know that their terms explicitly state that people who use the site should NOT be doing so for illegal purposes... Perhaps, Concerned, you should heed your own advice.
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Re: Re: Dumb Pigs
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Re: Re: Dumb Pigs
By and large, prostitution is not a bad crime. Illegal prostitution is much, much worse than legalized prostitution. Legal prostitutes have to have regular medical checkups, have to practice safe sex (no paying extra to go condom-less), and the prostitutes are protected, legally and physically, from abuse and assault. Plus, the state can tax their income.
Illegal prostitution avoids all of that. Many of the women are regularly beat up, raped, or otherwise assaulted, but they can't go to the cops because then they will be busted for prostitution or told they "got what they deserved". STDs are much more likely because they can earn more if they don't practice safe sex. And illegal prostitution is also the realm of sex slaves and human trafficking.
Sex is a natural function. Humans are just different from other animals in that we can enjoy sex at any time because we don't have a "heat cycle". There is nothing sinful about it; that's just an artificial idea put to it by religion to control people.
If you think about it, if man was made in God's image (as claimed by the Bible), then the human sex drive is divinely given. Not having sex would be an affront to God, since He made us different from other animals. Heck, up until the late Roman times, and in some cases even later, there were temple prostitutes working for religious purposes. So it's not like there's a very valid reason for it to be illegal.
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I guess Craigslist forced him to arrest them rather than accepting their usual bribes.
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3 strikes law
Thinking outside the box..
I wonder if they Tag and release, or just send them to jail.
3 strikes law?? wonder if they use this law..
Rather then Arresting them OVER AND OVER and making money..
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Re: 3 strikes law
Let ME tell YOU what I think is funny:
"that common sence is so limited"
Along with spell-checking software, apparentl.
"Thinking outside the box.."
Well, considering this dealt with prostitution, I'd say it as more like they were thinking ABOUT the box.
"I wonder if they Tag and release"
Given your capitilization, I can only assume that you're referring to Tag body spray, which I think would actually work. That stuff smells so bad that you could probably follow it easier than a GPS chip anyway.
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Re: Re: 3 strikes law
.....dammit!
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Re: Re: Re: 3 strikes law
"Lord I love a good 'Dude' reference."
But, I was confused, because you were the only one who used the word 'Dude' in that entire post. So was that another mistake?
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You should see Dr. Glasser and have him change the tinfoil liner in your helmet. There seems to be some holes in it.
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You want to try to swing again or shall we just chalk up a backwards "k" and you can call it a day?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: 3 strikes law
Jesus Quintana: You ready to be fucked, man? I see you rolled your way into the semis. Dios mio, man. Liam and me, we're gonna fuck you up.
The Dude: Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
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He's just an anti-helmite....
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Here's a thought
Why don't you ask him?
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Florida never smelled right
Did a little more research on this too--
Also, the Polk County Jail started charging inmates $2.00 a day to stay in jail.
The beef is that the Jail already collects $93 a day in taxes. Maybe that goes to the Sheriff's Friday night poker or slush fund. These books should be audited by a third party.
How do they get this money? Do they make trinkets and sell them on eBay? Sounds like legalized slavery if you ask me.
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Re: Florida never smelled right
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Re: Re: Re: Florida never smelled right
You are right too - and they are probably the biggest customers for these people advertising on Craigslist too.
But seriously - WTF? Who does prostitution hurt anyway? People who cheat are gonna find it one way or the other anyway... I mean it's not like prostitution in itself is really harming anyone.
Those that do get 'harmed' in this manner - well, are going down that path anyway.
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Re: Florida never smelled right
The 13th Ammendment to the US Constitution, which abolished slavery, specifically made an exception for it to be continued in the case of those convicted of crimes.
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Re: Florida never smelled right
Now, as to the $93/day/inmate collected, where do you honestly think that money goes? Utilities, food, pay for staff... Do you think there's really anything left? A jail/prison is extremely expensive to upkeep. Sucking some of that upkeep from the inmates only makes sense.
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Re: Re: Florida never smelled right
Demanding payments of approximately $700/yr in addition to incarceration... sounds like that needs to be part of a sentence to be enforceable.
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Welcome to the digital age.
I find this sheriff's remarks to be no different than others who blame the internet for their woes.
It amazes me people think that people can be controlled simply because it is the internet.
I love the sidewalk example. I'd like to see this sheriff walk out and control every living human being in his jurisdiction. After all, he has the exact same tools available to him that Craigslist does.
Such idiocy.
I wonder how are forefathers would react if they saw this country today.
I'm guessing the "innocent until proven guilty" would immediately get tossed as the internet clearly shows this isn't applicable.
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Re: Welcome to the digital age.
No offense to our forefathers. Though if you really look at history our forefathers were essentially glorified tax evaders and businessmen looking to share less of their profits. What they did for everyone turned out to be wonderful, amazing, very brave, very ingenious (in their success and the design of the new government), and certainly warrants great respect, remembrance, and honor. However, despite what most people imagine their intentions were not entirely honorable and selfless and they certainly didn't have hearts as pure as superman's (I know, an odd reference given the context). I used to imagine them this way until I got older and gained a more mature perspective on them. But enough with that silly rant...
The problem really boils down to a combination of ignorance and trying to blame someone else for a problem. Most people seem have this mystical view of the internet. They view it as sudo-magic where anything and everything is possible. Both in what people do with it and the extent it can be controlled. Until the majority of policy-makers understand that things are not that simple and that the internet is not some form of magic, we will continue to see these types of stories.
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Easy Answer To Last Line Question
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Why in the world would anybody condemn a service that provides easier access to an illegal activity that demeans women and places them in harm’s way?
Screw the law, let’s just legalize rape then none of this will be a problem.
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I swear the state of the human condition scares me to death some days.
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The harm comes with the illegality--all 'illegal' industries suffer from violence.
As for demeaning, what's so horribly wrong with two consenting adults exchanging money for services?
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Nothing, We do it all the time for other services, Yard work, hair cut, Massage, We just want to extend it happy endings =D
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I believe your objection to Craigslist is that the john/jane was more likely to pursue the services of a prostitute because Craigslist provided the prostitute a way to reach a wider audience.
If the cops were smart, they would use Craigslist to list prostitution services to catch johns/janes the same way they use undercover officers to catch them. Then the headline "Cops Use Craigslist to Catch Johns" might act as a deterrent.
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A person can put an ad in the paper for everything they can put an ad on Craigslist for, so if Craigslist is a problem, why aren't newspapers??
I could use my kitchen knives to commit a crime...why aren't those illegal yet?? Just because something CAN be used to commit a crime, that doesn't mean it WILL. And if you stab someone with your kitchen knives, why should mine be taken away also when all I do with them, is cut into my nice juicy steaks at dinner time.
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You mean like the phone company?
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Greed
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Re: Re: Re: Florida never smelled right
Evicted, no less...
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I have sinned
I ask once again to be able to love my neighbor - all my neighbors - as my self, to be an instrument of God's peace; to let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart and, in the end, the work of my hands, be pleasing. This is what I wanted to say to you today.
Thank you. God bless you.
President Bill Clinton
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Blame the education system.
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JUDD
How did he become a sherriff to begin with in the first place?
Use the tools! Don't complain about them ARSEHOLE:)
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Then again, why...
And PLEASE don't come back with the "but what about the sex slave market and children in prostitution?" I say, "FINE! Then go after those crimes and lock them up and throw away the key!" Kids get their hands on beer, wine, and liquor - so, should we BAN those!!!! Let police DO THERE DAMN JOBS! Stop making everything an excuse for banning this and banning that!
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Any idiot...
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Legalised prostitution works.
I live in Canberra, Australia, where prostitution is legal but heavily regulated. It's not legal to sell sex services on the street, you can only set up a brothel in one of two areas, and newspaper advertisements have to meet particular standards (i.e., they can't be too smutty).
All of this works really well. If you're not interested in paying for sex, you don't even have to be aware that it's happening. No street hookers hanging around lowering property values, no gangs, no organised crime. It's just some people running an honest business.
Making prostitution illegal makes about as much sense as making alcohol illegal, and it has exactly the same effect -- the trade continues, but it's criminals who are making money from it.
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"Oh come on. The mentalilty of "PIGS" or police as they are often called, is to protect every day citizens like yourself! Law enforcement has a limited set of tools to catch people breaking the law and the criminal's tools are virtually unlimited."
Law enforcement has nothing whatsoever to do with justice, or protecting citizens. It is merely a "for profit business"...
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No, no - he's using many, many more.
We have the power company - the phone, email, and telephone would not have worked without it.
The coal/oil/gas/nuclear fuel supplier for the power company.
The freight companies that got the fuel to the power plant.
The companies all involved in the acquisition, refining, and distribution of the fuels used for the power companies.
And we've only gotten started....
We also have to hold any and all ISP's between his host he used to look the ads up and the ISP where the content resides - so all ISP's on the route between the source and destination.
In addition, the government - Federal, State, and Local all have various 'laws' along with the FCC that regulate communications and such - they too had a hand in making this happen.
In addition, Microsoft, Apple, or another company provided the OS he used on the client as well as the host OS on the servers, and let us not forget Cisco and other companies that manufacture routers and switches - those too were needed.
In addition - the computer's hardware is made from a great many sources, so many companies could potentially be liable too: nVidia, ATI, AMD, Intel, 3Com, SiS, Logitech, IBM, Dell, HP, Western Digital, Kingston, Antec - many, many more.
We cannot forget also the copper wire the data traveled over. But not *just* the utility company who put it there - but the people who mined the copper, the companies that refined it, the companies that made the wire and insulation.
Potentially any marketing company that advertised any of the above as well, along with any shipping, distribution company, as well - and again, the Federal, State, and Local Governments who licensed all these businesses to operate in the first place.
How long would a person be able to go on?
In the end - you could probably mix a good chuck of companies, governments, and others into this mix.
But it's true - without any one of those 'doing their part' - it wouldn't have happened on the computer - it would have happened on the city street - like it has for ages and ages.
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Why Craigslist has an Erotic Services List
I submit the proposition that this sheriff is possibly a pimp and anyone attacking CL for this service is a pimp or misogynist at best, and could be a serial rapist in his heart.
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Good thing he didn't shoot them
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Re: Good thing he didn't shoot them
You know, I remember getting that email, and wondering how a man like that could keep his job.
Stay Classy, Sheriff Judd! He must have a 5th grader's education.
Asked why they shot the guy 68 times, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told the Orlando Sentinel ... get this. "That's all the bullets we had."
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Re: Re: Good thing he didn't shoot them
Really? Some P.O.S. kills one of his deputies, his deputy's dog, wounds another deputy, and then shoots at some other officers, and you think they don't have just cause to light him up? What difference does it make if they use 3 bullets or 68 to kill him? He's still dead. He wasn't going peacefully so why not make sure he's not going to be a problem?
I'm guessing you're a UCLU loving liberal who thinks a stern tone is all you need to talk a homicidal maniac out of his killing spree. Well good luck with that, Bub. There's a time for diplomacy and a time for action. Seems Sheriff Judd picked the right time for action.
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Reno 911 Episode?
Today, they've passed their exams so they work the prostitution sting shift. But no one wants to pick them up on the street, or re-hire them at the nudie bar. So they have to do filing and collating in the police station, wearing full uniforms, to feed their 3 children. *Sigh* so sad.
But, it could be the beginning of a good plot line for an episode of 'Reno 911!'.
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Legal Prostitution
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Contradiction/Legalize it
By the way, maybe if we legalization prositution and tax it, Obama can pay for his health issurance plan.
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His officers were behaving badly during this bust!
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Re: His officers were behaving badly during this bust!
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