Officers sending "Dear John" Letters

ESCAMBIA CO., Fla. - Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan admits that there is a prostitution problem in the area and he's doing all he can to put a stop to it. For the past three months, the Sheriff has been working on what are being called "Dear John Letters" to combat prostitution.

"This is portrayed too many times as a victimless crime but that couldn't be farther from the truth, and one of the reasons why we're focusing on this is really a two or three step approach. It's not just the sex trade, it's the drug trade, it's the fallout from the drug trade, domestic violence, abuse against the prostitute by their pimps, so there's a full host of things that are involved with prostitution," said Sheriff Morgan.

The way the "Dear John" Program works, is when someone is caught soliciting prostitution in a vehicle, the registered owner of that vehicle receives a letter in the mail telling them that their vehicle has been used in a prostitution crime.

"We had talked about sending letters to wives, significant others, spouses, and that sort of thing, but we found to stay within the legal parameters, we need to send it to the registered owner," said Sheriff Morgan.

Sheriff Morgan says he hopes the letters, which went in the mail on Tuesday, will also help cut down on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

He says if you own a vehicle and get one of these letters saying that your significant other has been involved in this type of crime, you should see your doctor immediately.