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Posted: 2:32 PM- LAYTON - In an effort to curb prostitution, the Layton City Council has adopted an ordinance requiring people who work at sexually oriented businesses to register with the city.
The municipal code change was made at the recommendation of City Attorney Gary Crane.
The amended code will let police conducting prostitution stings cite people involved if they have not registered with the city. The business license violation would be a class B misdemeanor, with maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.
There is no fee to register.
Having the registration information will also help officers investigating people involved in prostitution, he said.
"We need to know their background," Crane said.
Many of the escort services that operate in Layton are based in Park City and the Salt Lake City area, Crane said. The amendment requires employees of sexually oriented businesses that are licensed in another county or city to register in Layton.
"It is not uncommon for these employees to conduct some of their business activities outside of the jurisdiction with whom they are licensed," Crane said in remarks prepared for the council. "Layton just doesn't want to lose track of them."
Layton police recently arrested five women in a prostitution sting at a hotel. Police said the women thought they were meeting men willing to pay for sex after they were contacted by undercover officers through an Internet-based escort service.
Police say most of the prostitution stings in Layton involve escort services that advertise on the Internet, with very few cases of streetwalking prostitution being reported.