Warren seeks to combat illegal activities

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

Officials would like the 10 massage parlors in Warren to be gone, but to establish laws that hold up in court means starting with the assumption that they are legal businesses, city Law Director Greg Hicks said Thursday.

Just because people say “we all know” that prostitution takes place in these businesses, that doesn’t give a city the right to enact restrictive laws to push them out, Hicks told council and community members at a Warren City Council committee meeting.

If the business isn’t operating in a legitimate manner, that is up to the police to handle, Hicks said.

Police Chief Tim Bowers, who attended much of Thursday’s meeting, said he cannot comment on what his department will or will not be doing to combat possible illegal activities at Warren’s massage parlors.

Bob Weitzel, a member of the Northwest Neighborhood Association, and Councilman Vince Flask said they believe Warren’s problem with sex being sold at massage parlors is significant enough that it might be worth it to enact more strict standards, even if they get challenged in the courts.

“Sometimes you have to make it difficult,” Weitzel said. “I think you can’t hide with your tail between your legs.”

“As the attorney, I have to deal with the legal issues, not the emotional issues,” Hicks responded.

Warren City Council gave a first reading to legislation last month that institutes new regulations for Warren’s massage parlors.

The legislation will be read two more times and could be revised before it becomes law, said Cheryl Saffold, sponsor of the legislation. Council’s legislative committee will meet again at 3 p.m. June 23 to further discuss the legislation.

Warren’s legislation increases fees charged to massage parlors and increases the number of inspections from one per month to two.

It also makes it easier for the city to revoke a massage parlor’s license, said Bob Pinti, Warren’s deputy health commissioner.

The legislation would allow the city to limit the number of massage parlors to the current 10 on the theory that the city doesn’t have the resources to properly monitor more than 10, Hicks said.

Picking a number lower than 10 might be considered arbitrary and unconstitutional, Hicks added.