If you had Yale students (non-taxpayers, of course) living in the area, you'd have round the clock police presence.

It all started with tricky Nick Pastore. We need to have the Police department relearn police work. Yes New Haven there is a way to clean up New Haven. Just ask me. Retired PD

New Haven needs a "red light district" so these issues could be contained in one area, because prostitution and drug use are never going to be eliminated. Pot cafes, downtown, would be a good start.

http://tiny.cc/r0g66

Forbes Ave. under I95

Yeah, I've noticed this issue too. I wonder if there is more that we as residents can do to change the culture of of neighborhood so that folks who engage in this type of behavior will feel uncomfortable and unwelcome - hopefully causing them to change their minds about their choices but potentially also leading them to relocate. Perhaps we need to disseminate more info about alternatives to drugs/ prostitution including job training and health risks. One potential solution I can imagine would be to show a greater presence at the times and places where this activity is happening. What if we were more active in our block watch - actually walking the blocks at night in groups? These are my ideas, I'm curious to hear what others think might work.

I agree that our presence outside in the neighborhood is a great deterrent. We do this to some extent just by living here. Whenever we walk our dogs or work in our yards, we're discouraging criminal activity. I'm open to the idea of walking the blocks at night in groups, but I worry about the amount of effort involved in recruiting, scheduling, etc.

Lt. Hassett has told us that this is a difficult problem for the police to address. Arresting prostitutes does not keep them off the street for long.

I see a parallel with what Lt. Hassett has told us about drug dealers. If somebody is dealing out of a house nearby, they might be able to raid the house and arrest the person, but it doesn't solve the problem because the person gets out on bail and continues dealing while the case moves through the courts. Lt. Hassett has said that the best way to get a dealer out of the neighborhood is to talk to the landlord and try to persuade the landlord not to renew the lease.

Maybe we should try this approach with prostitutes as well. If we know a prostitute working in the neighborhood also lives in the neighborhood, we could bring it to the attention of the landlord. We don't have the power to force the landlord to do anything, of course, but community pressure might be enough to convince the landlord to get the prostitute out, at least in some cases.

How about advocating for an area where these businesses could locate - away from residential areas. Prostitution is not called "the world's oldest profession" for nothing. Seriously, do you think job training literature is going to make a difference - you'd have to be high to believe that. Speaking of which, people have been getting high since they started walking upright - even non-human primates seek out mind altering substances. So let's get real here. It is completely reasonable to not want these activities occurring where you live, but arresting people does not, will not, and has never worked. A "red light district" like the small one on East St., with strictly controlled boundaries, regulation and a police presence is the only solution.

Tonight (Tuesday, August 3) at 6:00, the NHPD will host a pizza dinner in Monitor Square (intersection of Chapel and Derby) so that the officers who serve our neighborhood can meet us and get to know us. Officers on patrol will rotate through to grab a slice, say hello, and discuss issues that concern us. This is a great opportunity to connect with the NHPD and talk about problems like the one on this thread.

Rooming house on the corner of Winthrop and Chapel is a drug and prostitution haven. It is Sunday morning @ 8:20 am and the traffic in and out of the house is non-stop. They have established lookouts and verbal codes to alert themselves of police presence or of customers. Their system is organized. It is surprising the amount of out of local area CUSTOMERS that travel to this location for the purchase of their GOODS. Please do whatever it take to stop this activity. Again, Thank You.

Please bring your concerns to our next block watch meeting, on March 15 at 7:00 p.m. (Meetings are always on the 3rd Tuesday.) For location information, please contact Lt. Hassett of the NHPD (rhassett@newhavenct.net, 203-946-7597).

Sorry, I think it is incredible that somehow Pd got a free pizza stop out of your drug house complaint and nothing else.

they don't raid these houses because it is too much work. yes, they may get out on bail and live there, but it is harder to live there, and it does make a difference.

I can't tell you how many times police raid houses where the occupants DON'T come back but move elsewhere and the neighborhood is fine afterward. Raids work. PD does them when they have gotten in trouble and have outside consultants watching them. As soon as they are gone, they start blowing off the neighborhoods they know don't have clout and extracting free pizza from beleaguered neighbors.

Quit cow-towing to them and get the raids. The whole street is a red light and drug district and the gunfire is almost every week

Any progress on this?

this location will continue to host this kind of activity because it is where the police want to locate it. This is the place they want to contain it to.

Situation is better. Thanks to all!!!!!