Neighbors say sex workers are returning to National City after a law enforcement tool installed to deter crime in the area was damaged by a hit-and-run driver.

National City police installed a “Skywatch” surveillance tower along Roosevelt Avenue in August of 2024, and the mayor said it reduced the number of sex workers in the area.

“They have G-strings and sheer blouses, so they really have gone to the part where people are uncomfortable seeing them in the street," San Diego’s Leather Coat Factory owner Nancy Estolano said.

Estolano has been in business in National City for 25 years, and she has seen it all. Roosevelt Avenue was plagued with sex workers, pimps and customers.

Estolano noticed a significant change with the installation of the surveillance tower last year.

“It went f

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