The goal of the measure is not to crack down on prostitution - rather, it’s designed to stop the exploitation of the women who are often being forced to work in these types of establishments. In fact, a state licensing inspector had to be involved if police wanted to do anything about a massage parlor that was being utterly blatant - even if there were multiple complaints about a place and obvious-sexual ads posted online offering services through the business. Up until this point, that sort of investigation had to be handled entirely by state forces, which are spread thin and may not be entirely in touch with what is going on in some local massage parlors. The Howard County, Maryland, executive recently signed a bill allowing local law enforcement to crack down on suspected illegal massage parlors that were barely more than covers for prostitution rings.
Howard County cracks down on illegal massage parlors
