Transcript Court TV Host: Norma Jean Almodovar has had a variety of professions. She was a cop in the LAPD. Then she decided to become a call girl. I imagine that's a career switch that a lot of you will want to ask about! Then she became an author -- she wrote a book about her life as a cop turned call girl, called, appropriately, Cop to Call Girl: Why I Left the LAPD to Make an Honest Living. She stopped by the Court TV show "Pros & Cons" the other night to talk about her life as a cop and then as a call girl, but she's also had a number of other interesting items on her resume. She ran for Lietenant Governor of California. (She did pretty well, too, getting about 100,000 votes.) She now works to promote sex workers' rights, and she's also formed a foundation to support the art created by sex workers Court TV Host: Norma Jean is here! Welcome, Norma Jean! Norma Jean Almodovar: Thank you for inviting me, it's a pleasure to be here. Court TV Host: Let's take the first question from online... g_grillakis asks: Why from cop to call girl? Norma Jean Almodovar: At the age of 32 I decided to find a more honest profession than working for the Los Angeles police department. As people have become aware from the Rampart division scandal, the corruption has not gone away that I talked about 20 years ago. I felt like what I was working for, what I called the "Blue Mafia," and I felt that becoming a prostitute wasn't anything that I hadn't already done on the LAPD. warhorse46 asks: Did you ever have one of your former coworkers as a client after you became a prostitute? Norma Jean Almodovar: No, I did not, but a number of my peers in prostitution did. When I was arrested in 1983 it was by one of the officers I refused to date when I was in the police department. m46looking asks: Ms. Almodovar, are you still friends with any of your old working cop friends? Norma Jean Almodovar: Yes I am. Most of those I knew, however, have retired. Court TV Host: You've said that the LAPD tried to stop you from writing about your job -- what did they do? Norma Jean Almodovar: The police used a friend of mine from the police dept. to set me up in a sting operation and then arrested me and confiscated my unfinished manuscript. My "friend," when she was testifying against me on the witness stand, said the reason she did it was to stop me from writing an expose on the LAPD. The result of the trial was that I was convicted of one count of pandering which carries a mandatory 3-6 year prison term on the first offense with no prior conviction. Originally, the judge sent me to state prison for 50 days for a psychological evaluation to see whether or not I was a danger to the community. I spent the 50 days in solitary confinement. I was put there "for my own good." When I was released the judge put me on probation for 3 years saying I was a danger to anyone. However a year later the district attorney's office appealed my sentence on the grounds that my crime was "worse than rape or robbery" and because I was "commercially exploiting my law enforcement past to draw scandalous escapades which undermine respect for the police." Two years and 7 months on probation, then the appellate court overturned my probation and ordered the judge to re-sentence me to the mandatory minimum three years in prison. So I was re-sentenced and sent to prison for 3 years. All for making a phone call to a woman, 50 years old, 6 foot 2 inches and 230 pounds who said she had a fantasy about being a call girl. Court TV Host: A number of people have asked versions of the following question: ladydogw asks: In which job was the pay higher? Norma Jean Almodovar: Obviously, it was higher as call girl, and may I say being a prostitute as call girl was the best job I ever had. Mike597 asks: Where do your clients come from? Norma Jean Almodovar: I had clients in virtually every business: politics, show business, anyone who could afford my services--which were expensive. cabin_fever123 asks: How long were you a prostitute, and how long were you a police officer? Norma Jean Almodovar: I spent 10 years as a civilian traffic cop for the police because until 1982 women were not hired as police offers. From 1982, when I left the police, on and off, when I wasn't in prison or going to court, and I'm now retired (unfortunately) because activism takes up all of my time and energy. leidymar12 asks: What is it that made you want to become a call girl? Norma Jean Almodovar: I have no problem with multiple sexual relationships. I had plenty of them with cops. For free! When I decided to become a prostitute it was because I realized that in order to have people listen to me about police corruption I would have to make a powerful statement. My statement was: I would rather be a whore than work for the LAPD. earthmother20191 asks: How did you know how to get in to the business? Norma Jean Almodovar: I met a number of call girls when I was working on the LAPD who were either dating or married to cops. I went to one of them when I wanted to become a call girl, and she introduced me to her madam. And thus I started working. latinobeauty_2000 asks: It would seem that you would think more highly of yourself Norma then allowing all those men use you. Norma Jean Almodovar: I have no problem with men having pleasure at my hands. I'm very good at what I do. And I do think highly of myself. warhorse46 asks: Can you tell us about some of the corruption you witnessed in the LAPD? Norma Jean Almodovar: Yes. There was a burglary ring, and I knew many of the cops in that. There was a murder-for-hire ring. A drug ring. Just like in the Rampart scandal, there was cops dealing and stealing drugs they'd get from the dealers and sell them when they were working off-duty for the movie industry as security. The cops were having sex on duty with prostitutes; placing bets on duty; having sex with very young female explorer scouts. One as young as 10 years old. The standard but unofficial report writing method for reports was called "creative report writing." What this meant was to make a report fit what the officers wanted it to rather report the facts. roadrunner909 asks: Why did you want to become a law enforcement officer? Norma Jean Almodovar: Sheer bad timing. I was 19 when I applied for the job when my first husband received the application in the mail. But he had a job already as carpenter making really good money. So I filled out the application my self. I was 21 when I was hired by the LAPD. kslnm asks: Is there any Mafia net when you're a prostitute? Norma Jean Almodovar: Not any prostitution I was involved in. The amount of mob participation in prostitution is not large since prostitutes are so independent. Court TV Host: But what about the general level of corruption in business of prostitution? Norma Jean Almodovar: What corruption? It's the most honest job I ever had. The cops are involved in extorting prostitutes for sex, money and information because prostitution is outside the law. cabin_fever123 asks: Are you trying to unionize prostitution? Norma Jean Almodovar: No. I'm trying to decriminalize prostitution. I have been an activist for 18 years with COYOTE. Court TV Host: That's Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics. Norma Jean Almodovar: My new organization is International Sex Worker Foundation for Art, Culture and Education We would like to see the decriminalization of all commercial consenting adults' sexual behavior. Court TV Host: You've also run for political office... cabin_fever123 asks: Also, what qualifies you to run for Lieutenant Governor? Norma Jean Almodovar: Just getting enough signatures. The Lt. Gov. basically does nothing, and that's why I was running for that office. Part of my campaign agenda was to abolish the office and save the tax payers $2 million a year. chatme1973 asks: Norma, did you feel weird about the things men made you do? Norma Jean Almodovar: No. Absolutely not. I felt that it was a privilege to be given access to the innermost thoughts and fantasies of men and to have them share things with me that they wouldn't tell any other person on earth -- because they trusted me. I would never do anything I didn't want to do or felt uncomfortable with. bigrolfe asks: How did you overcome your fear on your first trick? Norma Jean Almodovar: I never did tricks. I wasn't in the circus. I had clients because I was a professional. And because my first clients made me feel so comfortable, there was nothing to be afraid of. evil9111 asks: What is it like to be with a lot of different men? Norma Jean Almodovar: I enjoyed it very much. It allowed me to explore my sexuality by thinking about men's fantasies. The #1 fantasy men have is a menage-a-trois, of two women making love to each other, something I found I truly enjoyed. lariuk asks: How do you feel about the impact you've had on the prostitute workforce? Norma Jean Almodovar: I feel very good. I feel that I have in many ways improved or changed the ways prostitutes are perceived. And I think that the work that I and other activists have done will ultimately lead to decriminalization of prostitution. warhorse46 asks: Is there a web site that we could go to to see some of the art work you promote? good4dancing asks: Do you have your own website? Norma Jean Almodovar: Yes. we have 3 web sites. www.iswface.org www.freedomusa.org (for COYOTE's website). www.dumasbrothel.com That last one is about the Dumas brothel museum in Butte, Montana that ISWFACE bought for our museum and art gallery. Court TV Host: Possibly the longest-operating brothel in the history of the US? Norma Jean Almodovar: Built in 1890. Closed in 1982. debbie_36C asks: How would you recommend that a girl get into the business? Norma Jean Almodovar: Recommending or giving information on how to get into the business is called pandering and is a felony. Been there. Done that. Court TV Host: And we at Court TV certainly don't want to break the law. queen_of_all_that_sparkles asks: Do you feel good about yourself and what you do? canikissuplease asks: Do you regret anything in your life? Norma Jean Almodovar: I regret that I spent 10 years on the LAPD and didn't become a call girl earlier in my life. I enjoyed very much what I did as a prostitute but I might reconsider being an activist. Only because it doesn't pay anything. But I like who I am. I like what I've done. And there is no one who knows me who would say I suffer from a lack of self-esteem. Court TV Host: Thank you so much for joining us today...any closing thoughts? Norma Jean Almodovar: I'd just like to say that my purpose in doing interviews like this on the radio, on TV and like this is that I would like to see people start discussing the issue of prostitution in a serious manner. And to think about the consequences on the individual and the community and law enforcement. Court TV Host: Thanks again, Norma Jean for being our guest today.