COLUMBIA, S. C., Dec. 4  -- The Columbia, S. C., City Council has closed a legal loophole that kept officials from prosecuting people for having sex in parks, officials said.

Under the new ordinance passed Wednesday, it is illegal to "knowingly or intentionally" have sex on any "streets, sidewalks, bridges, alleys, plazas, parks, driveways, parking lots, automobiles (whether moving or not), and those portions of buildings open to the general public," The State newspaper of Columbia reported.

"We are not going to tolerate criminal behavior in our public places and parks," Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said. "This gives law enforcement and the parks the tools to enforce it."

The newspaper said the problem of public sex is mostly limited to Granby Park, which has had problems before with men soliciting sex from other men.

The ordinance is part of a plan by Allison Baker, Columbia's director of parks and recreation, to make the parks safer and more family-friendly. (UPI)