The Chicago Police Department began posting on its Web site on Tuesday photographs, names and partial addresses of people who were arrested on charges of soliciting prostitutes in a move intended to embarrass offenders and deter people from committing such crimes.
"If we can do anything to get a john to think twice about coming into Chicago communities to solicit a prostitute, we think we're addressing the problem," said Dave Bayless, a Police Department spokesman.
By Wednesday night, photos of dozens of men who had been arrested in the last month were posted. The photos will be updated daily and posted for 30 days.
In a statement, Mayor Richard M. Daley said, "It's a terrible life, and a caring society has a responsibility to help these women turn their lives around and to keep other young women from entering the profession."
Mr. Bayless said he was not concerned about posting photos of people who had been arrested but not convicted of crimes.
"Every day in this office we send out mug shots of individuals charged with crimes, and newspapers publish those photos," he said.
A spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois said it had not taken a position on the issue and had no comment.
But Patti Buffington, the executive director of Genesis House, a social service agency that provides shelter and outreach to prostitutes, said she worries that the postings could have repercussions for some people at home...
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