Police: City Sought 800 Times To Padlock Nuisance Spots

The city sought more than 800 times last year to padlock locations the police department alleged were havens for crime, an assistant police commissioner, Robert Messner, told a City Council committee yesterday. Of the targeted locations, 250 were in Manhattan, and about 60 there were bars or nightclubs — almost double the year before.

At Mayor Bloomberg's request, lawmakers are considering expanding the list of crimes that allow the police to seek to shut down locations that investigators conclude are public nuisances. That list has long included gambling, prostitution, and drug sales, but not the most violent crimes, such as criminal killing and felony assault.

Representatives of the city's nightlife industry, which has called the existing laws heavy-handed, urged the council to examine current police practices before giving more power to authorities.