HPD has begun photographing day laborers as a method of identification:
For months, people have complained day laborers trespass on their private property while waiting for work.
This week, Houston police started a new initiative, warning them to stay away.
Since few carry identification, officers are taking pictures of the people they talk to, using snapshots as proof they’ve been warned. If they’re caught trespassing again, they’ll go to jail. Businesses say it’s about time.
“Well, we’ve been open for the last two years and we’ve been having complaints since the day we opened,” said Rahul Parikh with Midtown Ace Hardware.
He says customers, mainly women, get harrassed.
Ace Hardware is one of two dozen businesses in this stretch of Durham with similar complaints.
“Some people have been intimidated by individuals because of their behavior,” explained Houston Chief Harold Hurtt.
