Source: SF EXaminer, Page A7, 7/18/97 Contact: Top cop: S.F. isn't Holland Loose Dutch laws on pot, prostitution are unlikely here By Jim Herron Zamora of the EXAMIER STAFF Seeking to quell speculation that The City might soften enforcement of prostitution or marijuana statutes, Police Chief Fred Lan has put out the word: "We're still here to enforce the law." After Assistant Police Chief Earl Sanders spent a week in Amsterdam recently and publicly discussed Dutch policies of legalized prostitution and hashish, the department has been besieged with inquiries if there is any such policy change in the works in San Francisco, Lau said. "We're committed to vigorous enforcement of all laws," Lau said Thursday. "Until the laws are changed, we'll enforce the laws here in San Francisco through community policing." Lau said the department has much to learn from other jurisdictions, including Amsterdam. But that doesn't mean the department would ever consider weakening drug or prostitution laws here, he added. "Although we'll study jurisdictions throughout the country and the world we're here to serve the people of San Francisco," Lau said. "No matter what we learn or what we see in other places, we're always going to sit down and discuss with our communities and determine our priorities." Sanders never actually advocated legalization of drugs or prostitution but he admitted he was very impressed by the way things are done in the Netherlands. With prostitution legal and marijuana officially tolerated, Amsterdam has some of the most liberal laws in the world. The deemphasis on cracking down on vice crimes has left police there more time to pursue hard drug dealers who traffic in cocaine and heroin, and organized crime leaders, Sanders said earlier this week. Among people in San Francisco including some in the law en forcement community there has been a more tolerant attitude toward certains types of illicit behavior....