Amid Times Square complaints, NYPD announces new unit
Police have announced a new unit dedicated to patrolling Times Square following weeks of complaints about the panhandling tactics of costumed characters, such as Elmo and Batman, and topless women covered in body paint.
The area, one of the busiest and most crowded in the nation, eventually was going to get new officers who would work regular shifts and be assigned to the same posts every day, but the past few weeks of attention accelerated the decision to recruit, the NYPD said.