"When it first came to our attention, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of listings in the Pleasanton area," he said. "Over the past year, however, we've seen those numbers go up."

San Ramon police Chief Scott Holder said his department checks Craigslist - and other sites - on a weekly basis. In three months, the department has conducted three sting operations as a result of online postings.

In Danville, prostitution is less of a problem. Police Chief Chris Wenzel said his department will occasionally check out Craigslist "if we hear certain things."

In the meantime, Craigslist's Newmark said he will continue to assist law enforcement when called upon but will not eliminate the "erotic services" section of the Web site.

"The primary purpose of that category is so that these kind of postings can go there as opposed to being listed in the mainstream sections," he said. "We have discussed getting rid of the category, but we concluded that would make the problem worse."

Striking a sympathetic tone, Newmark said that although he sometimes sees postings that make him "wince," he believes people need to "practice compassion for those who author these ads."

This is cache, read story here