But that changed in 1974, when DFW International Airport opened and Love Field lost much of its air traffic, sending the area into a decline that's still being felt. These days, reports of prostitution and burglaries aren't unusual. But not until recently have the hookers begun encroaching on residential streets, say Dickey and other residents. Dickey says he began hearing complaints of their presence this year and saw signs firsthand in his own neighborhood about three months ago. By most accounts, present laws are lax.
Prostitution tends to be a revolving-door offense.
I don't think so. We see too much repeat business. As of now, the vice squad includes 22 enforcement detectives who patrol the city. Still, this year alone, the police department's Northwest Division, which includes Bachman Lake, has made 543 arrests for prostitution. That's about 50 percent of the 1,113 arrests for street-level prostitution made in the entire city and a 5 percent increase from the year before, Bragg says.