LTC 228-2002
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. ~~f r.t~ ().
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From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez \ 11'/
City Manager a ~v 0
PROSTITUTION MAPPING INITIATIVE UPDATE
Date: October 1, 2002
To:
Subject:
This Letter to the Commission is to provide you with an update on the status of the Police
Department's Prostitution Mapping Program.
As way of background, the Prostitution Mapping Program was designed to reduce repeat
prostitution offenses by denying prostitutes access to areas which have experienced a high
concentration of illegal activity.
The Prostitution Mapping Program required that a Prostitution Mapping Zone (PMZ) be
established. This zone is a specific geographic area that arrest records showed was the
predominant area where prostitution activity and arrests occurred.
Defendants convicted for misdemeanor acts of prostitution could agree, as part of the
conditions of their probation, to be sentenced to the maximum allowable probation with a
special condition that they were prohibited from returning to the PMZ. A defendant who
returned to this area during their probation subjected him/herself to arrest for violation of
probation. Florida law allows a law enforcement officer to make probable cause arrests for
violations of probation.
There are currently 24 prostitutes on the Mapping Program. There have been six arrests
for violation of probation this year. Since January 1, 2002, there have been over 214
arrests for prostitution.
In addition to the Mapping Program, the Strategic Investigations Unit together with Patrol
has focused its law enforcement efforts on combating prostitution and related offenses.
This initiative, called Operation Streetwalker concentrated on arresting prostitutes.
Operation Streetwalker was a six-week operation (from April 8 to May 5 and August 22 to
September 1). In this six-week period, 135 prostitutes were arrested along with three
pimps. This highly successful detail, combined with cooperation from the State Attorney's
Office and Judiciary, had a substantial impact on the prostitution problem.
The Strategic Investigations Unit is still committed to the long-term investigative effort
targeting the organized groups that move prostitutes throughout the country. As the
prostitution problem increased, so has the focus of the Police Department's efforts.
Letter to the Commission
Page 2
October 1, 2002
While no program may eradicate the problem altogether, there has been a significant
decrease in open prostitution and the Prostitution Mapping Program continues to be a
viable community-policing tool that enhances the quality of life for our citizens, visitors and
business community.
JMG\~:~Jf~~~:~HD~
F:lPOLlITECHSERV\POLlCIESICOM_MEMOlProstitution Mapping Update Sept 2002F-L TC.doc