An investigation into
whether a gay sex sting in Lansing, Mich. was carried out
appropriately will be conducted starting Wednesday.
Jan Kolp (pictured), a
member of Lansing's board of police commissioners, admitted
last week that she requested a sting on the Fenner Nature
Center by calling the head of the police department's
special operations unit, according to the
Michigan Messenger.
Several city officials
are looking into the May 22 sting, but Kolp said she made the
call only as a concerned citizen, not using her clout as a
member of the board to get in touch with high-ranking
officers.
Two men were arrested
at the park, but police and local activists are looking to put
an end to similar operations. The arrestees were
booked procedurally and then allowed bond, but neither
received a citation. Capt. Ray Hall said that such stings would
no longer be carried out.
There have
been many similar stings, which Lansing police
once notoriously deemed "Bag a Fag"
operations, according to the Triangle Foundation, a Michigan
LGBT rights organization.
"Whenever you are
a police commissioner or city council member or you're mayor,
you have to be careful what you say, how you say it, because
it's taken with a greater weight," said council member
Eric Hewitt.
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