New York Lawmakers Consider Bill To Bar Condoms As Proof Of Prostitution
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York lawmakers are considering a measure that would prohibit police and prosecutors from using the possession of condoms as evidence against suspected sex workers.
If passed it would make New York the first state in the nation to prohibit such evidence.
A study completed in 2010 found that more than half of sex workers surveyed in New York City had condoms confiscated by police.
Nearly a third said they sometimes didn't carry condoms because they feared getting in trouble.
Prosecutors in San Francisco, Calif., Brooklyn and Nassau County in New York have already stopped using condoms as evidence of prostitution.
Advocates of the measure say a statewide law would ensure people aren't targeted by police for possessing condoms.
The New York Police Department has long opposed the bill but said on Friday that it's reviewing its policy.
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