Prostitution crackdown in the French Quarter

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[B]Prostitution crackdown in the French Quarter[/B] by Natasha Robin of Fox8

New Orleans -- For two months, state, federal and local investigators worked to crackdown on a problem that they say fuels violence. They held a news conference Thursday to reveal the results of the investigation, dubbed "Project Heat."

â??These law enforcement agencies have teamed up to combat prostitution and prostitution related crimes in the French Quarter,â? says NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas.

More than a dozen officers infiltrated the French Quarter every night, looking for anyone involved in prostitution. In all, 67 people were arrested including alleged prostitutes, johns and pimps.

â??I saw first-hand in talking to business people throughout the city. They complained that their patrons didnâ??t want to come back because they were being addressed, accosted and pulled aside constantly,â? says State Police Colonel Mike Edmunson.

Most of those arrested were women from out of town who were staying in downtown hotels. Hotel managers began calling the NOPD to report activity involving prostitution.

The FBI says juveniles frequently are brought into the business and become human trafficking victims.

â??Itâ??s where pimps drag juveniles from state to state because we never know, as this task force is working, who we are going to come across,â? says Special Agent in Charge David Welker.

The District Attorneyâ??s office is playing a major role in the crackdown effort. DA Leon Cannizzaro says he immediately noticed those arrested were spending very little time in jail.

â??I remember the first day they engaged in this operation, they made 13 arrests. The cases were brought to Criminal District Court. Nine of the 13 were released on recognizance bonds,â? says Cannizzaro.

The DA decided to direct the prostitution cases to Municipal Court, where 90 percent of those arrests eventually led to convictions.

Investigators say this operation is just the beginning. The collaborative law enforcement effort will continue in hopes of putting an end to the prostitution problem in the French Quarter.