DON'T NYPD HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN ARREST PROSTITUTES FOR CARRYING CONDOMS?

While sitting at my computer last night I heard something on the news [I don't recall which station] about New York City cops arresting prostitutes for carrying condoms. I'm no fool, I know that it is not illegal to own or carry condoms. I mean, if I am going to have sex [legal or otherwise-and you bet it would be legal] I would definitely have some in my purse to use if my partner did not.

Let's face it. With all the diseases floating around now it would be suicide to play bareback. Everyone knows or have at least heard about the horrors of catching HIV let alone what untreated venereal diseases lead to, cancer and more.

Have the NYPD have better things to do with their time?  

I can think of a few. Try giving more time to cutting down the more violent crimes. 

Is there something more that lawmakers can do to change the nuisance that prostitution causes?

I believe there is. Why not legalize prostitution and write laws that govern HOW prostitution should be run. [Maybe like a legal business.] Would legalized prostitution clean up the streets? You bet! Would running it like a business profit the city? Yes. Less abuse, less traffic problems from drive-up clients, less uncontrolled rampant diseases, no pimps, [along with violence against the girls/men].

This would leave the NYPD to have more time to do the important crime related work instead of harassing prostitutes to make arrest quotas. Harassing the prostitutes is the easiest way of getting arrest quotas that I can think of and all most of these arrests do is clog our courts with petty violations. 

The state of New York needs to take a good look at their laws and how they conduct their treatment of prostitutes. The fact that they [state health agencies] and New York City [with their city logo on it no less] hand out condoms to these prostitutes is a good thing but when NYPD members target the prostitutes at sites where they are given the condoms, I have to laugh. Not at the prostitutes but at the NYPD. Profiling prostitutes. What has our police departments come to?

And all women of America should be ashamed for allowing these things to happen. They [privileged class America] should be fighting against the abuse of these women who work in this profession. You turn your head and look the other way. Tell me...what if she was YOUR child or teenage daughter/son or over age 18 child, yours! Didn't woman's liberation groups fight for ALL woman's rights? Don't you think that letting cops harass prostitutes sets back woman's rights to the dark ages and cements these men's [cops] anti-female rights attitude?

I did some checking and NY's violent crime is down somewhat from last year. [2012] But not a whole lot. 

I like the fact that some prosecutors have instructed their offices to "not prosecute prostitutes on the possession of condoms as evidence of prostitution or loitering". It's time for new laws on petty crime.

see article "sex workers project" for study done on prostitution arrests for possessing condoms" at: www.prosnetworknyc.org/join-the-network/  and click on 2012 under Archives on the right side of page 

*information researched in Times New York and PROS network nyc.