Police stings, undercover officers and a vice squad: Though is far from the golden age of strip clubs, city authorities in Denver are still keeping close tabs on illegal behavior in its adult cabarets. Police busted the southwest Denver business for prostitution and solicitation , and the agreement required the adult entertainment club to close down for two weeks in January β a penalty that the business finished serving this week.
In the last 13 years, Denver has recorded four other incidents at clubs, Escudero confirmed. Evans Ave. Police began investigating. The first dancer was arrested for prostitution, while the second was cited for public indecency. The club admitted that prostitution and solicitation of prostitution occurred on the night of the sting, and it agreed in the settlement to ban the two dancers and to enhance its video surveillance to cover all private dance areas.
Under the agreement, new violations within a year will result in a day closure. DPD was unable to specify the number of stings at clubs over the last year. One dancer in Denver suggested illegal activity was more common than shown by licensing enforcement and other city actions. Prostitution within clubs counts as a controversial topic among dancers. On one hand, Dolana says she understands that the women who do engage in it often face dire circumstances, with families in need of money. Other big cities, such as Seattle and Phoenix , have similar protocols.
Portland, Oregon, is recognized as having the most strip clubs per capita among major U. In Denver, five businesses now claim adult cabaret licenses, which permit adult entertainment and liquor. Just eight exotic dancer licenses were active in Denver as of last week, Excise and Licenses said.
Dancers are more likely to need them, he added, if they perform away from clubs at businesses, homes or events, such as bachelor parties. Denver city government established a new online permitting and licensing center in November , and data listing the addresses tied to those licenses was available online as website search results.
