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

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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.

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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.

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