Colorado Springs city council taking first step to address illicit spa problem
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The first work session for the newly elected Colorado Springs City Council will be on the topic of illicit spas selling sex acts in the city.
The meeting, set for April 12, comes nearly two years after KRDO first exposed the illegal sex industry that continues to thrive in the Colorado Springs area.
(READ - Hiding in Plain Sight: How massage parlors mask a hidden sex industry in Colorado Springs)
The Colorado Springs Police Department credits KRDO's ongoing investigation for changing the way they investigate the more than two dozen illicit massage parlors operating in the city. Vice investigators believe at least some of the women working inside the parlors are victims of human trafficking.
"We look to people like your station KRDO to bring these things to light. I think you've shut down two of the organizations already. Okay. And of course, you brought focus on the others," Colorado Springs council member Bill Murray said.
Murray continued to reference KRDO's ongoing reporting and the public's social media comments surrounding it during an interview on Tuesday. Murray said he doesn't just want to discuss Colorado Springs illicit spa problem; he wants to fix it.
"I don't want it to be a one-off discussion and then just have it disappear in the ethereal," Murray said. "What we need to do is consolidate that information into one central location, so in fact, we can act on it."
Finally some hope for the women forced to work in illicit parlors.
"My commitment is to anyone that feels abused. That's what our social contract is with the entire community and that is our obligation to protect you," Murray said.
