Question about prostitution stings

I was indulging in one of my rare guilty pleasures last night (Cops). It was one of the many, many, many episodes featuring cops posing as johns to lure in prostitutes; they were based out of New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Which then led me to wonder…

Having been to quite a few Mardi Gras celebrations, I think it is not outside the realm of possibility that a woman would go there with the intention of getting drunk and having sex with some good-looking stranger. So: what happens if a woman were to approach this undercover cop, fall for his initial lure, go back to the hotel room, and attempt to have sex? The (actual) prostitutes last night didn’t mention price until they were in the room- couldn’t somthing like the following exchange happen:

Cop: Hey baby… you’re lookin’ good tonight.
Not a Prostitute: Thanks, hon… you’re lookin’ fine too.
Cop: Wanna go party?
NaP: You here on your own?
Cop: I’m here with some friends, but I have my own hotel room not far from here.
NaP: Sounds like fun… let’s go.
(in hotel room)
Cop: So, what ya wanna do?
NaP: (undressing) How about we see what happens?
Cop: How much?
NaP: What?
Cop: How much?
NaP: WHAT?!? You think I’m a HO?? YOU BASTARD!!!
Cop: :smack:

Does the cop just cut her loose? What about the same sort of situation, roles reversed? A guy (and here I supposed you’d have to assume they’re pretty uninformed about the world) thinking a woman (undercover cop posing as prostitute) is just hitting on him, until she asks for money… can he still be charged with something if he immediately says “Woah, baby- I’m not into the whole paying for it thing…”?

Heh, sorry I don’t have a real answer for you. But let me know when your suggestions show up on Cops: Best Bloopers.

That’s a reason that escort services are almost never busted. The money paid is for companionship and time- the fact you spend that time having sex is just incidental (and prove it’s not).

IANAL (or an ocelot trainer), but I believe there has to be money exchanged or explicitly mentioned before an arrest can be made. There would certainly have to be before a conviction could be made.

Every episode of Cops I’ev seen stresses the money angle, as thats the only thing which makes it illegal, which is why it being illegal in the first place is so stupid.

You pick up a drunk non-whore at a bar, take her home and have sex, no problem. Pay for the privilege, and there’s a problem? What if you pay for the cab ride home after- is that illegal? Or what if the only mention of money is ‘sure I’d like to go home and have sex with you, but I’ll need 50 bucks for a cab ride home’- would that be illegal? I’m surprised I haven’t seen ho’s use that angle on Cops.

I must be missing something, because I don’t see the difficulty here. In both the scenarios you describe, the suspect explicitly refuses money. There’s no crime.

-FrL-

Of course once again the question is raised “Why is it illegal to sell something that can be given away as often as one likes?” I’ll never understand why prostitution isn’t legalized and regulated (like the U.S. Gov’t itself did, with great effect, in Tennessee during the Civil War).

Moral objections, of course. Could you imagine how the religious right would feel about noncriminalization of prostitution? (They also believe giving it away is wrong, of course).

The question is sort of twofold: one, would there be any situation (code, ordinance, etc) where the cop could charge the non-prostitute with something; and two (and perhaps this is more to the heart of my curiosity), how far would the cop allow things to progress before “outing” himself as a cop? They technically can’t explicitly ask for/offer money, lest they run afoul of entrapment laws, but they (probably) also don’t want some drunk, horny woman taking their clothes off in front of them and their fellow officers. Do they just suddenly fake a headache and usher the person out?

My WAG is that any experienced cop can tell the difference between a half-drunk amateur and a pro in the first minute.

That was what I was going to say. What probably helps is that prostitutes tend to hang out in certain areas. Every time I have seen one of those stings on cops, they are at a known stroll.

I am sure that there are some savvy hos who are able to wriggle out of an arrest but probably not any civilians who get picked up by mistake.

There’s also the “personal massage” thing and “wanna have a party? Need $50/$400/whatever” (which, while it’s clear what she means, COULD just mean “wanna have a party?”

There was a gay bar in D.C. when I was there about 2-3 years ago where the hot (but not $350 worth of hot) dancers wore shirts that said “I AM FOR SALE- $350”.
They were talking about the shirts… of course. (The place is no longer in business- don’t know if this is why.)

In Atlanta there’s a place called SWINGING RICHARDS (I haven’t been there but I know several people who have) where you can receive (gay) lap-dances from nude dancers (though the recipient can’t be nude), BUT there’s no touching because if there IS touching it’s legally prostitution. (That said, I’m told that it’s amazing how often they “accidentally” allow the clients to touch them.)

I think that the cop would be obligated to have sex with her in avoid blowing his cover. Why do you think they call it undercover? :smiley:

But really, would the cop be breaking a law if he did? What if he told her that he was a cop on duty, that people were watching and that they were being taped and she still wanted to do him just for the fun of it? Or should they just hook up later?

What if the prostitute had told him- “look hon, I don’t screw for money, but I live in Algiers and if I spend the night with you here (or the hour) I’ll miss the last ferry home and you’ll need to give me 50 bucks cab fare”…

Some old Susan Heyward based on real life movie- I Want to Live I think, has a cop about to bust her for having a (married?) man in the hotel room, until the cop finds out she is paying for the room- can’t recall the angle there, but some law at work I think.

I suspect that the situation described by bobkitty does indeed arise occasionally, and perhaps even while the incident is being secretly video-recorded for COPS. Needless to say, such blunders don’t make it to the final televised cut, as it puts the police in a bad light.

See, now, I would think the opposite (as long as it was clearly between consenting adults)- what better way to prove that cops are human than put them in a situation that no red-blooded, heterosexual, single male could refuse? :smiley:

Si Amigo, I would imagine that they’d have to wait until later. But what a great story to tell if they became a couple- “Yes, we met when he picked me up thinking I was a prostitute…”

I wonder if any cops undercover as johns have ever solicited any cops undercover as hookers.