CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill to make it easier to prosecute pimps and panderers was signed into law Wednesday by Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn.

AB470, dubbed the “anti-pimp bill,” removes a requirement that an act of prostitution or pimping be corroborated by a third party to prove guilt. With the new law, a pimp can be prosecuted based solely on the word of the prostitute.

Police officers who backed the bill said they were frustrated because prosecutors wouldn’t press charges against pimps unless there was witness testimony beyond that given by prostitutes. The officers said their observations and prostitutes’ word weren’t enough to lead to a complaint.

The measure’s supporters testified that the law change protects prostitutes who are often abused. They said that under the old law, panderers and pimps got a free pass because it was so difficult to gather other evidence against them, whether from other prostitutes or johns.