(CC/Justin C.)
An on-duty police officer lay nude and unarmed, face down on a massage table. Shu Yuan Sun massaged the muscles of the officer's back, his shoulders and legs, and then told him, "Turn over."
That's when the arrest happened, according to Hallandale Beach Police Sgt. Todd Crevier. Three women arrested this month on charges of prostitution and practicing health care without a license were targeted as part of an ongoing investigation into human trafficking, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Hallandale Beach Police Chief Dwayne Flournoy said the nude stings are integral to a joint investigation with federal authorities into human trafficking, where women are held as sex slaves. Florida ranks third in the nation in the number of such cases, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.
"This is not just an act of solicitation, but an organized crime effort," Flournoy said. "It is not just a street-walker. It is a more sophisticated operation that requires a different mode of investigating."
Eric Schwartzreich, also a Fort Lauderdale defense lawyer, said a naked law officer opens the door for an argument that any sexual act was consensual. Howard Finkelstein, chief public defender in Broward County, said he didn't think assigning undercover officers to go without any cover is "worth it or appropriate."
"It forces [police] to act badly, and will have zero impact on prostitution," Finkelstein said. "It is seedy, back-alley, icky, and we don't want our cops doing that, especially so when it's meaningless."
But Flournoy said undercover busts in at least four massage parlors have slowed their proliferation in his city. Police in South Florida, where massage parlors are everywhere, have taken notice. "They have been successful," Flournoy said, "to the point where other agencies have requested to look at how we target these cases."
