Bill targets illegal massage parlors in county
Measure would expand police power to check for proper state licensing
A bill before the Howard County Council aims to expand the authority of county police to crack down on illegal massage parlors, a move officials say is important to help curb prostitution and human trafficking.
Proposed by Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman and Councilman Jon Weinstein, the bill would allow police to enter massage parlors at any time during operating hours to ensure the establishment is licensed by the state.
“We’re confronting this aggressively.
We’re committed to giving police officers the tools Gardner they need to crack down on it.
We will not allow anyone to be exploited,”
Kittleman wrote in a statement.
Police say current law limits the department’s ability to quickly confront suspected illegal establishments. The state Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners licenses massage therapists, but the board has only one statewide inspector.
“We’re not adding requirements.
We’re simply focusing our efforts on the right to go in and inspect businesses that come on our radar through citizen complaints and concerns,” said Howard County Police Chief Gary Gardner.
Under existing guidelines, police investigations of suspected illegal activity can take weeks or even months, said Capt. Dan Coon, commander of the Police Department’s criminal investigations bureau.
Most police investigations of such businesses begin with community complaints that lead to an interview with employees or the owners. Some long-term investigations culminate in search-andseizure warrants that can take months to complete, Coon said.
The Police Department has received several complaints about massage parlors in the county, Coon said.
Police consulted with the state licensing board and with several massage parlor owners before pursuing the bill.
Violators would be guilty of a misde- See MASSAGE, page 6
Proposed by Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman and Councilman Jon Weinstein, the bill would allow police to enter massage parlors at any time during operating hours to ensure the establishment is licensed by the state.
“We’re confronting this aggressively.
We’re committed to giving police officers the tools Gardner they need to crack down on it.
We will not allow anyone to be exploited,”
Kittleman wrote in a statement.
Police say current law limits the department’s ability to quickly confront suspected illegal establishments. The state Board of Chiropractic and Massage Therapy Examiners licenses massage therapists, but the board has only one statewide inspector.
“We’re not adding requirements.
We’re simply focusing our efforts on the right to go in and inspect businesses that come on our radar through citizen complaints and concerns,” said Howard County Police Chief Gary Gardner.
Under existing guidelines, police investigations of suspected illegal activity can take weeks or even months, said Capt. Dan Coon, commander of the Police Department’s criminal investigations bureau.
Most police investigations of such businesses begin with community complaints that lead to an interview with employees or the owners. Some long-term investigations culminate in search-andseizure warrants that can take months to complete, Coon said.
The Police Department has received several complaints about massage parlors in the county, Coon said.
Police consulted with the state licensing board and with several massage parlor owners before pursuing the bill.
Violators would be guilty of a misde- See MASSAGE, page 6
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