The city of Portsmouth has adopted a new tool to curtail crime at two public housing complexes: privatization.

The city council has changed the status of two streets that run through Dale Homes and Lincoln Park from public to private. The streets are now owned by the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority.

The change will make it easier to issue trespassing citations, which police hope will help reduce drug crimes and other offenses by discouraging criminals from frequenting the complexes.

Jeffrey Miller, the authority's lawyer, says people could previously avoid trespassing charges as long as they stayed on public sidewalks or streets.

Attorney Steven Benjamin, who has challenged a similar policy in Richmond, says it gives police too much leeway in singling out individuals.