These highly sophisticated crime rings have finagled a way to hijack a legitimate industry and stay in business. Experts estimate there are about 9, of these nationwide, and local authorities tell MTN News at least a dozen are in Billings. The latest discussion around this issue is how to run these illegal businesses out of Billings without harming legitimate massage therapists. In an effort to stop human trafficking and run prostitution businesses out of town, Billings city leaders have been discussing, debating and redrafting a local ordinance for three years, targeting businesses that offer and advertise massage.
Billings City Council will consider this ordinance under first reading Monday, April If the ordinance passes as is, solo practitioners would be exempt, but business owners who offer massage as a primary service would need to fill out their business history, submit financial records, and complete fingerprinting and a background check to get their city business license.
If those business owners cannot fulfill those requirements, then they don't get a business license and can't operate. While the goal is to push out the illegitimate businesses, the ordinance uses wording that Roth believes is offensive. For example, phrasing like:. He too, questions why a massage therapist business license would include a dress code, a rule on locking the business door, how far he can close his curtains, and why he would have to report his hours of operation to the city.
But again, why are we singled out? Why are we the only ones that have to do that for the city of Billings? He also says as the Billings crime rate has doubled in the last 10 years, and the city needs to look to alternative ways to crack down on criminals.
The proposed ordinance is modeled after an ordinance out of Aurora, Colorado. Trevor Vaughn, manager of tax and licensing in Aurora, says his city was plagued with at least 20 sex-trafficking businesses disguised as massage businesses, and now there are none involving human trafficking.
