Barricades Installed as Crime Deterrent

To discourage crime on residential streets, the city on Thursday installed temporary barricades on Josephine and Wilson streets at Garden Grove Boulevard.

Police say the metal blockades will stop people from cruising the area. A city-run traffic survey found that as many as 150 vehicles travel down Josephine and Wilson nightly between 1 and 2 a.m., apparently seeking prostitutes who work in the area.

Traffic Engineer George Allen estimated that, with the barricades, the numbers of cars will drop to the average for a residential street at that hour: about four.

In the last year, police and local residents have also employed foot patrols and parking restrictions to reduce traffic, which officials said seems to be drawn to the area by the adult bookstores and bars on Garden Grove Boulevard.

The barricades do not restrict access to the stores but instead discourage prostitution “and drug activity in people’s front yards” nearby, said Police Officer Jay Ostrow, who patrols the area.

Tom Ebel, general manager of the Adult Book Store on Garden Grove Boulevard near Wilson, said he approved of the barricades: “I like it. It will stop the cruising.”