Local News in Brief : City Acts to Seal Crime Havens Beneath Hollywood Freeway
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Los Angeles city officials moved Tuesday to close two pedestrian tunnels under the Hollywood Freeway at North Hollywood Park that police say have become havens for drug dealers and prostitutes.
The City Council’s Finance and Public Works committees approved the closings and sent their recommendations to the full council for approval. The action was requested by council President John Ferraro in response to complaints from residents in the area.
A police spokesman said that officers have observed juveniles regularly smoking marijuana in the tunnels on their way to school. The tunnels also are used for drug transactions and vice activity, police say.
“Closure of the tunnels would not only remove the cover sought by individuals engaged in these activities, it would also eliminate escape routes preferred by those who commit criminal acts in other parts of the park,” wrote C.A. Hodge, who recently retired as a captain in the North Hollywood Division, in a letter to the committee.
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