No Such Thing as a Freebie on Yahoo! Health

A recent study has found that Chicago prostitutes routinely perform sex acts with police officers in order to avoid arrest. In fact, these so-called freebies (a.k.a. rapes) account for 3 percent of prostitutes' total sex acts.

This study illuminates what prostitutes of every city already know. Regardless of location, criminal police officers abuse their authority by groping and raping prostitutes, and they do so without any threat of punishment or any fear of censure.

While some people might find it strange to term such an under-the-table arrangement as rape, it actually fits the definition perfectly. Any sex act in which a person is unable to say "no" is rape, whether physical force is used or emotional force is used (such as in the form of threats and other fear tactics).

A police officer, who is one of the most well-known authority figures in our society, has an extreme amount of power and influence. Even without covert threats of arrest, it is still a situation in which most women do not feel comfortable or safe saying "no."

It might not be how most of us typically think of rape. There isn't a gun involved, or a scary masked man, or an innocent young girl screaming for help. As a result, it might be hard for some of you to sympathize with these prostitutes. After all, the prostitutes get off the hook...and it isn't like they are virgins! Right?

Not so. This country has allowed a woman's sexual history to determine our definition of rape for far too long. Rape is rape - no matter how many sexual partners a woman has had in the past, no matter how she is dressed when the rape occurs, and no matter what profession or social class to which she belongs. Every woman deserves the right to be protected and respected in this country...whether she is a suburban homemaker or an urban prostitute. No matter where a woman falls on the social spectrum, she is devalued and debased by unwanted and forced sex acts.

Luckily, a change is in the air. Chicago's new Superintendent of Police, Jody Weis, is a veteran FBI agent, and he is committed to enforcing ethical police behavior at all costs. In light of his avowal to bring law to the law itself, I would like to ask Weis: How do you intend to punish these rapists in uniform, and how do you intend to prevent such inhumane crimes from occurring in the future?

And you tell me, readers: What do you think should happen to these offending police officers?

For more information on this topic, you can read my Sun-Times column.

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