Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : 41 Citations Issued in Prostitution Sweep

In a sweep that ended Wednesday morning, police handed complaint citations to a total of 41 women suspected of soliciting for prostitution on Harbor Boulevard.

Police Lt. Jim Davis said six alleged prostitutes were arrested on outstanding warrants during the crackdown. A woman who gave birth last Friday and another who is 5 months pregnant were among those cited, Davis said.

City officials have filed a lawsuit in Superior Court asking that 350 convicted prostitutes and their customers be declared a public nuisance. If a judge approves an injunction at a hearing on Feb. 8, then any of the prostitutes or their customers who return to the area--between Sunflower Avenue and Westminster Avenue along Harbor Boulevard--may face contempt of court charges and be fined or jailed.

Civil libertarians have said the plan is unconstitutional.

If the injunction is granted, it would affect those who have been handed complaints by police before the Feb. 8 hearing and up to 1,000 more yet-to-be-identified prostitutes and their customers. Police will continue issuing complaints to the 350 named in the suit until the hearing.