April 23, 2009
“Prostitution Bust in Prairie Village” That news headline raised a few eye brows recently. So did the details behind it. Two women busted by police for selling sexual favors inside a home on a quiet, tree lined Prairie Village Street not far from a church. Police were surprised, neighbors were outraged and prosecutors were left dealing with an activity that’s becoming more common in many metro neighborhoods, as an NBC Action News Hidden Camera Investigation uncovered.
Those Racy Ads
Log onto the popular website Craigslist and you will find ads that can easily be described as provocative, racy, and even raunchy. During a three month hidden camera investigation, the NBC Action News Investigators found ads in the erotic section with titles like “Naughty Nurse Becky”, “Plus Size German Barbie”, and “Let SnowBunny Keep You Warm”. The ads are obviously meant to be attention grabbing sometimes complete with racy pictures of women who are the supposed posters of the ads. But as the NBC Action News Investigators revealed, the service being offered by many who post them leave little to the imagination. Our producer responded to one ad and met with the woman in front of an apartment a block away from a local middle school and near a KU Medical Center parking lot. People could be seen walking down the street to their cars. The woman mentioned how quiet the area was while pointing out a few neighborhood high lights to our producer. Online, her ad reads, “IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GOOD TIME AND WANT AN EROTIC EXPERIENCE OF YOUR DREAMS CALL.” She indicated over the phone the price would be $150. When our producer mentioned that he did not bring condoms with him, she quickly replied that she had one.
Nice Neighborhoods, Naughty Behavior
When you think of someone offering sex, images of a woman in skimpy outfits walking up to cars along a dimly lit street may come to mind. But these days, our investigation revealed some in the business of selling sex prefer to “work” in the comfort of their home. Most who place ads in the erotic section of Craigslist preferred to give us few details over the phone. They avoided giving exact addresses, instead preferring to direct our producers to their homes over the phone. Some who post the ads live in nice, even upscale neighborhoods. Our investigation found ads in Overland Park, South Johnson County, Independence, Kansas City and rural Platte County.
In one ad, the woman describes herself as a “high class provider” in a “clean, upscale location.” Our producer contacted the woman to set up a meeting location and time. The woman told him to drive to a particular area about 10 miles from her home and then call her back. When he did, she directed him to her home in a rural neighborhood north of Platte City. The homes in the neighborhood are large and sit on big lots, several acres in size. A child’s wooden swing set could be seen in the back yard of the home next door. Three high-end vehicles were parked in the woman’s driveway and garage. The woman greeted our producer from inside the doorway of the home. Our producer, after greeting her back, remained outside in public view. She was scantily clad while standing in the door, trying to convince the producer to come inside.
“Can you come in here so we can discuss this? I don’t want to discuss it with the neighbors,” she said. During the brief meeting filled with awkward pauses, the topic of police came up. She told our producer she was not an officer before asking him if he was. When the producer brought up the subject of condoms, she indicated that was not an issue. “You don’t need them. I’ve got ‘em.”
Another woman who posted a racy ad guided us to a much smaller home in a quiet neighborhood in North Kansas City. On any given afternoon during the week, children can be seen getting off a school bus a few hundred feet from her front door. In fact, this particular woman has her own child, a nine month old baby. When she greeted our undercover producer at the front door, another woman was leaving the house with a baby in a carrier. The second woman then left the house with the infant and walked to a waiting car parked along the street. The woman who placed the ad told our producer to come inside. He did not, and while he stood on her front porch, she appeared uncomfortable, quickly looking around the neighborhood. “I don’t want to do this on the front porch,” she explained, adding, “How it works is you come in. You do the normal thing ... you do what grown people... and that’s about it.” As we toured the area afterwards, we discovered a park with children playing in it, the North Kansas City city hall building, even the community’s police station, all just a few blocks away.
How is Law Enforcement Cracking Down?
Craigslist and dozens of attorneys general across the country recently promised a crackdown on this activity. But what is being done to stop this? The NBC Action News Investigators showed what we uncovered to the North Kansas City Police. Their response promised increased vigilance. “We are going to encourage her to find a different way to support herself,” said Major Steven Beamer. See the Complete Interview HereHe admits sex advertised on the internet creates challenges for police, since the identity of those who market themselves can be tough to find though the internet. However, Beamer vows to keep a close eye on Craigslist after our meeting. “Our investigations unit now has the ability to go onto the internet in such a way where people do not know they are members of the police department," Beamer said. "Rest assured, we're going to be doing that.” In November, 2008, the Kansas Attorney General announced an agreement with Craigslist where they would work to crack down on "inappropriate content and illegal activity" in its erotic section. Posters of erotic services ads would now be required give a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The site will provide the resulting information in response to law enforcement subpoenas. Click here for more information. The Missouri Attorney General did not sign that agreement with Craigslist. However, a spokesperson told the NBC Action News Investigators that Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is considering his legal options. Koster will also take part in an emergency call with other attorneys general from across the United States on Monday. The spokesperson believes the topic will be about Craigslist Erotic Services ads.
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