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Cops see red over johns who cop out

EDMONTON — Police are sending out Dear John letters to prostitutes' customers who fail to show for educational programs.

The $400, one-day "john schools" are a way for the men to avoid a day in court.

The letters identifying the person who has been charged with communicating for the purposes of prostitution are sent to the household.

Police spokesman Kelly Gordon says that, when the letters arrive, they can be a bombshell.

"Oh, absolutely," he says. "And we don't apologize for it."

Some on the vice squad still remember one case where a Dear John letter was sent to a young man who was engaged to be married.

His fiancee opened the letter.

"This all happened on the day she was supposed to go and pick up her wedding dress," Gordon says. "It can have some devastating consequences."

He says most johns would rather pay to attend john school — a program that teaches them about the fallout from their criminal actions — than face criminal charges.