
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
— Craigslist’s Escort craise is sweeping the South, from Grand Rapids to Grand Junction, and now Colorado Springs.
The trend began with the death of an escort in New Orleans.
But the craze has spread far beyond the city and into rural parts of Colorado.
“This is something that is not just a problem in New York or Los Angeles or San Francisco,” said Jennifer Hickey, a business consultant who helped start the website Craigslist Escort.
“This is everywhere, whether it’s in a small town, a large town, or a small city, this is an issue that’s impacting everyone in Colorado.”
Hickey is referring to a nationwide trend that involves escort services that are not licensed to provide sexual services and have been accused of trafficking people for sex, prostitution, and other illegal activity.
Colorado Springs police Chief Tom Stapleton said his department has received complaints from the community about the escorts in Colorado.
“We have received complaints, both in the community and in our own department, of people that have been victimized by these escort services,” Stapton said.
“These are people that were paid to escort people and they have been told they are not a good model for a family, that they are going to be killed by predators and they are to be turned away from a service.”
The Escort Business Association of Colorado Springs filed a lawsuit in federal court against a company, Escort Escort LLC, which operates in Colorado, alleging that it has violated Colorado’s consumer protection laws and has violated state and federal law.
The group alleges the escort company has forced clients to have sex with other clients in exchange for payment, with the escort agency charging clients to escort their own clients.
In a statement, Escorts Escort said it takes allegations of human trafficking very seriously and has a zero-tolerance policy for sex trafficking.
The Escorts escorts website says escorts are not required to register with the police, but they do need a license to perform services in the state.
Stapney said the escort association has also filed a complaint with the state attorney general.
He said he was not able to identify the attorney general’s office, but said he is looking into whether Colorado has a law against human trafficking.
Colorado Springs Mayor Tom White said the city has seen a spike in calls from the city about escorts.
But White said he thinks it’s the escort industry that’s to blame for the crape.
We are seeing more and more people in our communities, and we are seeing a lot of people who have been victimizing other people in the last couple of years, he said.