Greenburgh officials want to pass a law regulating massage parlors and put a hold on any new ones opening in town.
The proposal comes one year after town police arrested 18 people and shut down seven parlors as part of an undercover operation that showed they were operating without proper licenses. Restrictions on the parlors would also prevent parlors from operating as brothels or havens of other illegal activity.
Police Chief Chris McNerney told the Town Board at its Oct. 7 work session that a new law requiring parlors to apply for permits would give police more leverage.
“We”™ve had our challenges enforcing the law and having them comply,” he said. He said the town was nearly “overrun” by its number of massage parlors ”“ with six in operation and two more with applications pending.
The moratorium is scheduled to be discussed at the board”™s meeting Nov. 4 and it would remain in effect until the new law could be drafted. Town Supervisor Paul Feiner, a Democrat, said the new law would require massage therapists to pay for a permit from the town. To apply, therapists would need to have a diploma and a valid state massage therapy license.
Feiner said in an email the application would identify if a potential therapist was of good character and reputation in the community, which could be determined by “a previous arrest record, association with persons known to lack good moral character, open and notorious criminal sexual activity, or other acts of moral turpitude or conduct contrary to good morals.”
Business owners or employees who violate the new law could receive fines of up to $15,000, Feiner said.
