Commercialized Prostitution in New York City

by George J. Kneeland

On the basis of both months and precincts these reports are distributed thus:

POLICE REPORTS

Precincts		Jan.		Feb.		Mar.		Apr.		May		June		July		Total		Separate Places— Total
1		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
2		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
5		1		1		1		1		1		1		1		7		1
6		4		4		..		..		..		..		..		8		4
7		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
8		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
10		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
12		1		2		1		1		..		..		..		5		3
13		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
14		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
15		9		9		8		6		6		4		4		46		9
16		3		3		3		..		..		..		..		9		3
18		15		11		11		11		11		11		11		81		15
21		6		5		5		1		1		1		1		20		6
22		2		3		3		3		6		9		8		34		10
23		27		29		28		22		24		24		26		180		35
25		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
26		15		15		15		15		15		15		15		105		15
28		..		1		1		1		1		1		..		5		1
29		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
31		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
32		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
33		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
35		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
36		3		..		..		..		..		..		..		3		3
39		3		3		3		3		3		3		3		21		3
40		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..		..
43		4		4		2		2		2		2		2		18		4
Totals		93		90		81		66		70		71		71		542		112

It would appear thus that in the fifth precinct the same house is reported month after month; in the 18th, 11 houses are reported during five of the 6 months; in the 26th precinct, 15 houses are systematically and regularly denounced.

Our own investigation began approximately three weeks later than the above tables and ran three months longer. In its course, our investigators reported 429 parlor houses, massage parlors, furnished room houses and hotels; and 379 saloons and miscellaneous places allied with prostitution. The 429 resorts first mentioned are distributed as follows:

INVESTIGATORS’ REPORTS

Precincts		Parlor houses		Massage parlors		Furnished rooms		Hotels		Total investigation Addresses
1		..		..		..		..		..
2		..		..		..		..		..
5		3		..		..		..		3
6		6		..		..		1		7
7		..		..		..		..		..
8		..		..		..		..		..
10		..		..		..		..		..
12		3		..		..		..		3
13		..		..		1		2		3
14		..		..		2		..		2
15		11		..		19		9		39
16		..		..		..		1		1
17		1		..		2		..		3
18		21		8		10		8		47
21		3		..		5		12		20
22		22		3		41		7		73
23		35		23		14		21		93
25		1		1		1		2		5
26		29		17		10		16		72
28		1		8		2		5		16
29		..		9		..		3		12
32		..		1		..		1		2
33		..		..		..		..		..
36		..		..		..		10		10
39		5		..		2		1		8
40		..		..		..		..		..
43		1		..		3		6		10
Totals		142		70		112		105		429

The 379 saloons and miscellaneous places allied with prostitution were discovered in the following precincts:

Precincts		Saloons, etc., and miscellaneous places allied with prostitution
1		2
2
5
6		11
7
10
12
13		4
14		2
15		26
16		7
17
18		26
21		17
22		45
23		39
25		14
26		61
28		16
29		2
32		23
33		1
36		26
39		29
40		4
43		24
	Total	379

Comparison of the police reports with those made by our investigators shows marked differences. For example: in the sixth precinct, the police report 4 addresses, our agents 18, of which 11 were saloons, etc.; in the 15th, the police found 9, our agents 65, twenty-six of them saloons, etc.; in the 21st, the police gave 6, our agents 37, seventeen of them saloons, etc.; in the 22nd, the police report 10, our agents 118, forty-five of them saloons; in the 26th, 15 and 133 respectively, 61 of the latter being saloons, etc.; in the 28th, one place is noted by the police, 32 by our agents, 16 of them saloons, etc.; in the 32nd, none by the police, 25 by our agents, 23 of them saloons, etc.; in the 33rd precinct none is reported by police, one by our agents.