Craigslist's darkside's a cop magnet Cops drawn to dark side of
Oakland Tribune, Nov 28, 2005 by Simon Read, STAFF WRITER
A "sex worker" for 14 years, Jennifer (not her real name) says she has "loved every minute of it."
The 30-something blonde, articulate and well-spoken, won't say whether she still makes forays into the industry. But alluding to previous experiences, Jennifer says she exercised standards when soliciting clientele.
One guideline was to avoid Craigslist.
"There are a lot of things going on now with Craigslist," she said, referencing recent raids by law enforcement resulting from prostitution listings on the popular Web site. "Chicago has been having problems, as have Los Angeles, New York and the Bay Area."
Indeed, Craigslist -- used by millions nationwide to buy and sell everything from home appliances to automobiles -- is also a high- tech marketplace for those looking to buy and sell sex.
"There is a perceived hierarchy in the industry," Jennifer said. "Topless dancers think they're better than nude dancers. Nude dancers think they're better than the prostitutes. The people on Craigslist tend to be women on the lower-end of the spectrum."
Jennifer said many of the women posting on Craigslist are "being promoted by pimps -- or an agent." And because it has become so easy to advertise such services, more women are getting into the business.
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A recent online sex-for-sale posting by a Martinez woman led to her arrest after she reportedly offered to prostitute her 4-year- old daughter for $500 during an online conversation.
The 22-year-old was taken into custody earlier this monthafter the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children alerted the Martinez Police Department.
Investigators have said it might not be the first time the woman - - who is also the mother of a 3-week-old baby -- has offered to sell her daughter for sex.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office refused to file charges, however, citing insufficient evidence. The case was returned to the Martinez Police Department, which is hoping to refile the case.
While such an example is extreme, it has focused more attention on the issue of online prostitution.
A new dimension
From escort-review sites to bulletin boards where prostitutes can advertise their services, the Internet has added a new dimension to the world's oldest profession and has made it more accessible than ever.
A casual glance at Craigslist reveals numerous carnal services for sale.
From women looking for men, men looking for women, and gays and lesbian ads, some online postings leave little to the imagination. And for those who think customers have to venture into San Francisco or Oakland to buy sex, think again.
Vice-crime investigators say the Internet has allowed prostitutes to reach out to a larger prospective client base. Jennifer said it has also allowed law enforcement to zero in on practitioners of the trade.
"It's been a double-edged sword for the industry," she said.
Pleasanton police Sgt. Donald Sauls-
bury said his department started monitoring Craigslist a year ago.
"When it first came to our attention, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of listings in the Pleasanton area," he said. "Over the past year, however, we've seen those numbers go up."
On the day before Thanksgiving, a quick search on Craigslist revealed 50 listings for the Pleasanton-Dublin-Livermore area.
"Our experiences have been the ladies who advertise in this area tend to be in their mid-20s to early 30s," Saulsbury said. "Such listings potentially make it easier for us, in that a lot of these girls will do outcall appointments, meaning they come to you. We don't have to walk the streets like we did in the old days."
Saulsbury said prostitution is not a widely reported crime in Pleasanton.
"You have crimes associated with prostitution, such as theft from the customers," Saulsbury said. "We haven't seen those kinds of reports, but that's not to say it's not a problem."
Without going into specifics, Sauls-bury said the department will soon be launching a sting operation against women advertising erotic services online.
"We'll be accessing Craigslist and other sites for women offering outcall appointments," he said. "We'll also be doing some investigations -- but I can't say anymore than that."
A good thing
Craig Newmark, the founder of Craigslist, said recent publicity generated by prostitution listings on his site actually is a good thing.
"It helps remind people in our (online) community that we need to deal with bad stuff of any sort," Newmark said. "Our community is overwhelmingly trustworthy, but we do get bad guys -- and we do need help from people to flag them down."
Newmark, 52, of San Francisco, said he started Craigslist a decade ago. The site's popularity still surprises Newmark, who estimates about 10 million people visit Craigslist monthly.
"Between ads and forum postings, 7.5 million people are posting on the site each month," he said. "It's not possible to police all of them."
Newmark said he relies on his site's users to notify him when illegal postings make their way online.
"Our policy is that the site is run by the people who use it, and these people are happy to help us out," he said. "People do tend to prioritize. Users are more concerned with scams -- but if they see something wrong, they will flag it."
Craigslist prides itself on working with law enforcement when approached to assist with investigations, Newmark said.
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