(submitted by gekkogecko)

Reuters

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Sometimes going undercover in
Texas means no cover at all.

Houston police, long thwarted in their campaign
against prostitution by an internal policy that barred
officers from removing their clothes, have reaped
results by shedding that unwritten rule.

The change in tactics that allows vice squad officers
to undress in pursuit of evidence is part of a
crackdown on suspected brothels that advertise
themselves as day spas, lingerie modeling studios,
massage parlors and "stress relief clinics."

Two investigations using the new rules have resulted
in organized crime charges against six business
proprietors and dozens of misdemeanor prostitution
charges.

Police largely built their investigation through
traditional detective work, such as surveillance, but
Harris County prosecutor Ted Wilson said the
department's ability to pose as naked clients was
particularly useful.

"It helped," Wilson said on Monday. "It's something
they can do, if necessary, to gather sufficient
evidence."

Knowing police were not allowed to disrobe meant sex
workers could ask customers to undress before
propositioning them to determine if a potential client
was an undercover officer.

The series of arrests in November are seen as a signal
that Houston police have closed that loophole.

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