San Diego
In an effort to curb criminal activity, a San Diego City Council committee agreed Wednesday to add escort services to the list of businesses regulated by police.
The ordinance, approved by the council’s Public Services and Safety committee, would require owners and operators of escort services to undergo a background check by police and pay $2,000 for an operating permit. The escorts would also be subjected to background investigations, for which owners would pay $90 each.
The ordinance would also require the services to keep a daily register of their customers.
Need for regulation is “demonstrated by the numerous incidents of prostitution-related crimes, thefts, robberies and narcotics violations reported to and investigated by the Police Department,” according to a report by Assistant City Manager Jack McGrory.
“For several years, escort services and their employees have fostered an atmosphere conducive to various forms of criminal activity,” McGrory wrote in the report.
Before it becomes law, the ordinance must be approved by the full City Council.
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