Part of the reason for Fresno's approach may lie in the fact that local attorneys often sling allegations that police are targeting gay men.

"We bend over backwards not to target a class of people, but by providing special treatment you're acknowledging that you're doing this against a certain group of people," Ko said. "One guy is carving out a living. What he's trying to show is that we target gay males. That's not correct. We are looking for lewd acts in public that violate the law."

In contrast, a recent arrest of a man for exposing himself in a park bathroom to an undercover Salt Lake officer went like this. After leading the pudgy, middle-age man from the bathroom without handcuffs, they took him to a nearby unmarked vehicle where he was issued a citation. The officers checked for any outstanding warrants. During the process, the West Valley City man sat in the front seat biting his nails.

After asking for the man's home and office telephone numbers, the officer told him, "We do not call your employer, we do not call your home."

"OK, I appreciate that," the man replied.

After confirming the man did not have any outstanding warrants, officers explained that there was a program he could enroll in with the prosecutor's permission.

"I'm going home," the man told the officers. "I wished I'd have done that and not stopped here tonight."

As he was exiting the vehicle, the man told the officers, "Thank you, gentlemen, you've all been very courteous tonight."

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E-mail: djensen@desnews.com