Gloucester Sheriff Darrell Warren has asked the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors to consider tightening the county ordinance that regulates massage parlors, stating that his office has received complaints over the past six to eight months involving alleged questionable activities at two massage parlors in the county. The matter will be the subject of a public hearing next month.
According to county attorney Ted Wilmot, representatives from the sheriff’s office have been meeting with him to discuss possible solutions to these complaints. As a result of those meetings, Wilmot drafted an ordinance revision that would prohibit massage of certain portions of the body and would also prohibit the exposure of certain portions of the body during a massage.
According to Wilmot, the proposed amendments restore similar provisions that were removed from Gloucester County Code in 2006 for reasons that no one can identify. The proposed amendments are also very similar to what neighboring localities across the river have in place, which have had to address the subject previously.
The amendments would make it unlawful for any massage technician or any other person in a massage parlor to place his or her hands upon, to touch with any part of his or her body, to fondle in any manner, or massage, the sexual or genital area, or any portion thereof, of any other person. It would also be unlawful for any massage technician or any other person employed in a massage parlor to expose his or her sexual or genital area, a female’s breast or portion thereof, to any other person.
According to Warren, by state code, there is no ability to enforce some of the questionable activities that have been reported because they don’t cross the threshold of sexual intercourse.
Warren said some massage parlors operating in a questionable manner have been known to be involved in human trafficking, but was adamant that he had not received any information of this type of activity occurring here
“It’s important each of you know what’s going on,” Warren told the supervisors. He added that the proposed amendments are common; would not violate state law, and is legislation that allows for the county to regulate the health, safety and welfare of its citizens.
There was some concern that if the ordinance is enacted at a county level, the resulting misdemeanor violations would be prosecuted at the county level, costing the locality money. However, Wilmot said he doesn’t see an influx of these cases being tried.
“I’m not interested in jamming people up for something that was lawful yesterday and not today,” Warren said. Instead, if the amendments to the ordinance are made, he will visit the establishments and inform them about the changes and “put them on notice,” so to speak.