Austin police traded in handcuffs for chainsaws Monday to attack the crime problem along Waller Creek in downtown Austin. They say the say evidence of crime lines the banks of Waller Creek.

"Found syringes down there, feces, 'cross under the bridges [there was a] strong smell of urine," said Officer Jason Huskins, APD.

The nearby businesses say they are suffering.

"We've actually had our windows busted in," said Carrie Conway, Brick Oven manager. "People will be eating dinner and they'll look across the park and see someone getting arrested and that's not what you want to see while you're eating."

Since March, police say there have been 92 arrests for possession of drug paraphernalia, 65 reported car break-ins and 54 camping violations. But no amount of arrests seemed to have worked -- the criminals kept coming back.

"I came down to identify what made this area attractive to criminals," Huskins said.

Huskins found the overgrowth gave criminals a way to hide out of the view of police. Now, with the help of city crews, he's taking it all away.

"They're trying to take out as little as possible, but raise the canopy so business owners and the officers can see down into the creek," Huskins said.

Crews will cut back brush from 9th Street to 15th Street. This fall, they plan to clear it out all the way to Lady Bird Lake.

"Anytime you can make the area more open, more visible, it's going to cut down on people doing things they shouldn't do down there," Huskins said.

"It's good to see that it is a problem and they're making an effort. We can be a little greedy. We always want more, but at least they took a step and that's all we can ask for," said Anthony Walker, Serrano’s waiter.

Once this is cleared out, police plan to replace all of the lights. Police say criminals break the light bulbs to keep it dark.