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Houston Police Department Takes New Approach to Tackle Prostitution on Bissonnet Track
Over the years, Houston’s Bissonnet Street has become notorious for prostitution, with sex workers patrolling the area and soliciting customers in broad daylight. However, the Houston Police Department (HPD) is taking a different approach to tackle the never-ending problem.
HPD’s Westside division commander, Reece Hardy, has announced that “Bissonnet’s closed for business,” adding that the department cannot arrest its way out of the issue. Since May 1, HPD has increased its police presence on the street and has been blocking off side streets like Plainfield and Centre Parkway leading back to the Southwest Freeway. This makes it harder for cars to circle the area, forcing them to take a much larger loop, thereby deterring them from engaging in the type of behavior typically seen on or around the track.
A Houston Fox News reporter went out to Bissonnet after 10 p.m. to check it out; they still saw what appeared to be several sex workers on the stroll. However, Commander Hardy says that’s a significant improvement compared to what it was before. He says there’s been a “drastic reduction in both vehicular traffic and foot traffic,” which has made it more challenging for the sex workers to operate.
HPD acknowledges that the initiative on Bissonnet will have a displacement effect. Still, they are hoping the displacement act is not so heavily concentrated in one location as it is on Bissonnet. Hardy also stated that the businesses in the area have been supportive, with some even chaining up their parking lots at night to help close loopholes.
Commander Hardy has indicated that HPD will continue blocking side streets off between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. every night until further notice. Meanwhile, the HPD seems determined to solve the problem and will likely explore other approaches to tackle prostitution in Houston in the future.
