L.A. Public Sex On The Rise; Cops Crack Down

georgemichael.com

Occupancy at Los Angeles hotels was down almost 10 percent last year (PDF). Public, out-in-the-open sex, however, has been on the rise, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Coincidence? We don't think so! People are downsizing their sex budgets.

More than 90 people, mostly men, were arrested for having sex in public parks in L.A. in 2009. That's up from 75 in 2008, and cops are cracking down in Elysian Park, Griffith Park and Sycamore Grove Park in northeastern L.A.

At a news conference Friday Los Angeles police displayed video of condoms strewn about one park. Besides being illegal and lacking the accoutrements that make hotel rooms so hospitable for such things, cops say public sex is dangerous. Participants, they say, have been known to be attacked by area gang members. Because when your pants are down, you're vulnerable. (Hotel rooms, on the other hand, have doors and locks).

Strangely, cops say "many" of the repeat suspects who have been arrested in flagrante delicto and, well, mano a mano too, "claim to be married and heterosexual."

Okay, Roy Ashburn.

Either way, the words "get a room" resonate loudly here. And, on that note, hotel rates in Los Angeles are down 12 percent since 2008, according to a recent report from hotels.com. So while public sex might stretch your dollar, keep in mind that it's a buyer's market for hotel rooms.