NYPD Increases Patrols At Washington Square Park To Crack Down On Drug Use
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD is cracking down on drug use in Washington Square Park.
The department increased foot patrols after receiving several complaints about people openly using heroin in the middle of the day in the popular Greenwich Village park, 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported.
Peter, a New York University freshman, said as he walked out of his residence hall near West 4th Street last Thursday he saw a drug addict with needle in hand inside the park.
"It was not very pleasant...Everybody in the Village is so free spirited and do what they want to do down here, but you don't expect it in broad daylight," Peter told Schuck. "It makes you want to help them but then again you can't help a person who wants help."
Open drug use in middle of day including heroin here. @NYPDnews has stepped up patrols #1010wins pic.twitter.com/qi7oAy6diw
— glenn schuck (@glennschuck) August 5, 2016
Police from @NYPDnews cracking down on drug use here in broad daylight. This was at 10 am #1010wins pic.twitter.com/sbsseQwDui
— glenn schuck (@glennschuck) August 5, 2016
On Friday morning, Schuck witnessed police talking to two men on a park bench.
"Police are on patrol and sure enough there they are, there's a couple of cops that have gotten a few guys on a park bench to put their drug paraphernalia away," Schuck said in a video posted to Twitter. "The cops are on it trying to clean things up here."
A police spokesperson also told the New York Post that narcotics investigators have been contacted to address the situation.