Revamped Bill Targets East Sprague Johns

Over the next four months, we’ll be hearing about a lot of ideas.

Thousands of them, all would-be laws, began fighting their way through the legislative process this week in Olympia. Some are dull. Some are sexy. But each has a story behind it. This is one of them.

Right now, a group of East Sprague business owners is pushing a proposal to embarrass people who buy sex.

They also want to inconvenience them. And, they hope, to make Spokane County a bad business environment for those “in the business.”

They’ve tried just about everything else to reduce prostitution in their neighborhood: prayer, yelling through bullhorns, recording license plate numbers. They even collected used condoms - and sent them to the mayor.

Now, they hope to give police the authority to impound the customers’ vehicles.

Although the effort is being spearheaded by Spokane businesses, the idea itself - now four years old - has its roots in the Valley.

It started with Terry Lynch, a Valley resident and business owner who has spent the last 29 years operating the Park Lane Motel near Sprague and Havana. Lynch used to run a second motel, the Shamrock. Located in the 1600 block of East Sprague, it had bulletproof glass in the lobby and needles in the parking lot.

Today, it is a parking lot. “I just got worn out,” said Lynch, who remembers watching police escort Johns out of his motel in handcuffs. As one customer was being led out, Lynch said, more “couples” would be trying to get in.

So three years ago, Lynch sold the Shamrock to the owner of Ross Printing Co. He gave up on his more troubled facility.

But, he didn’t give up the prostitution fight.

“I look at it from a very simple point of view,” Lynch said. It’s a businessman’s point of view.

Perhaps, Lynch thought, Spokane County could attack the prostitutes’ customer base. Maybe that would convince at least some of the prostitutes to find greener pastures. So, about a year before closing the Shamrock, Lynch asked his legislators to help him with the idea. Johns, when arrested, would lose their vehicles. For 30 days. If they were the legal owners.

The idea has gained fairly widespread support, although it’s not without controversy. Some attorneys - prosecutors and defense lawyers alike - bristle at the idea of taken away someone’s property before they’ve been convicted of anything. But they admit, it’s already a common practice in law enforcement.

Embarrassment also is a fairly common tactic. Just check out Cable TV Channel 5, where you can see the names of people arrested for a wide variety of offenses - including patronizing a prostitute.

It’s hard to determine the impact - if any - of such measures. But supporters, including District Court Judge Sara Derr, believe most Johns are normal, everyday people who can be influenced by fear of exposure.

“It will deter a lot of them. I sincerely feel it will,” Derr said.

Of course, it won’t work if police don’t use it. One of the biggest gripes among East Sprague business owners has been a lack of attention by police. This proposal won’t change that.

It won’t make prostitution a higher priority, or free up officers to spend more time on the issue.

Lynch is the first to admit, this isn’t a “solution.” He admits he’s no expert. He’s not sure what impact, if any, the law would have.

“You’re never going to get rid of the problem,” he said. “But you can’t just sit back. To me, prostitution is too great a tragedy.”

His proposal has made several failed trips through the legislature. It once passed the full Senate. It once passed the full House.

It’s gone through several alterations. As written last session, the police agency would be responsible for the impoundment, towing and storage costs if a person wasn’t subsequently convicted.

It seemed fair. But, it didn’t sit well with some county and police officials. So, in this year’s bill, police will be off the hook as long as they had probable cause for making the arrest.

In another change this year, counties also will be off the hook. They don’t have to use the law. Impounding will be optional.

“You have to start someplace,” said Lynch, who remains optimistic, but also realistic.

“The solution is not to just look away.”