“The night was bitterly cold on Times Square. Prostitutes and other shady habitués had taken refuge indoors, and the gaudy lights and tawdry attractions of 42nd Street beckoned only to a few gawking tourists. Standing near a pinball emporium between 7th and 8th avenues, two plainclothes policemen watch for a thriving form of prostitution – involving “hawks,” men who pick up young boys and “chickens,” some as young as 10 years old. Many of the hawks are white, middle-class men who drive in from the suburbs. A policeman is not permitted to pose as a hawk – that is considered entrapment. As for posing as a chicken an officer said – “if we had some undercover cops who looked like teenagers, it would be a lot easier, but we don’t even have any young-looking cops, because they’ve all been laid off.” Hawks are rarely imprisoned. Usually they are allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and told to get psychiatric help.
NYT 3/24/77
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