The refusal by the NYC police to raid a midtown hotel Oct. 11 that was suspected of being used by pimps to house teen-age prostitutes erupted yesterday into an open dispute among city, state and police officials.
Investigators from a legislative crime committee working with the city had proposed the raid in the hope of obtaining evidence about the recruitment of teenagers in organized prostitution rings in the city. They obtained a warrant but police legal blocked the raid.
“This is part of a negative attitude by the police,” said Sidney Baumgarten, director of the city’s Midtown Enforcement Project. “The police don’t want to do anything different or innovative, even when children are involved.”
Law-enforcement officials said that news of the aborted raid later leaked out to the pimps who, together with their prostitutes, later abandoned the hotel (the Senton West at 39 West 27th Street).
Information about pimps in the hotel was obtained from a 16-year-old girl was was arrested on prostitution charges September 5. She said a pimp had recruited her in her hometown of Minneapolis and brought her to New York. (Why are they targeting Minneapolis – norwegian blondes?) She told police she had been housed at the hotel with other teenage girls.
NYT Raab 10/26/77
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