Was Palm Springs Sex Sting Entrapment?

Questions linger and political fallout could continue from the 2009 gay sex sting in Palm Springs that last week resulted in the resignation of the city's police chief.

Police chief David Dominguez resigned after he acknowledged making an "inappropriate comment" caught on tape. He had disciplined a police officer involved in the gay sex sting who also uttered an antigay slur caught on tape.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "News of the chief's departure had brought calm to Palm Spring's gay community by week's end. But animosity, as chilly as the snow-dusted San Jacinto Mountains rising over this desert town, lingers against the mayor and members of the gay-majority council who had steadfastly defended Dominquez or held their tongues."

One major question concerns whether the operation, which resulted in 19 arrests, unfairly targeted the gay community or was conducted in response to legitimate local complaints.

A public indecent exposure conviction requires the defendant to register for life as a sex offender, the Times reports.