News From Two 66th Precinct Community Council Meetings

Bloated with complaints, residents had a lot to say at the two 66th Precinct November Community Council meetings, held at Community Board 12’s offices at 5910 Thirteenth Avenue in Boro Park, eager to fill the gap since the Council’s last meeting on September 19.

Hardly any residents attend these meetings, a man from the audience said at the November 7 meeting, demanding a show of residents’ hands to prove his point. Not too many.

The audience is mainly elected officials and their representatives, the Shomrim, BACOP, cops, assistant district attorneys, community board 12 staff and members, and a handful of government workers, he charged. He suggested council meetings be rotated to locations beyond Boro Park: Kensington, Midwood, Coney Island Avenue, and closer to the 70th Precinct, to pull more neighbors to the meetings.

That’s under consideration for 2017, Quick said, insisting that people gladly schlep to CB 12’s offices or the precinct, which is nearby on 16th Avenue, when they need the precinct’s help.

Residents also complained about an isolated corner near the baseball fields at the newly renovated Gravesend Park. This corner abuts residential housing, and according to a Rabbi who spoke, kids to hang out there day and night.

Quick said NYC Parks do not have the staff to lock each park at night and reopen it the next day, but if the Rabbi and friends set up a community group, Parks would work with them. The Rabbi and his friends also wanted cameras to monitor the area 24/7. The issue seems to be the kids from the local public high school who hang out there. (Isn’t that what Parks are for?)

Then, at the November 21 meeting, as everyone was about to leave, a woman complained about the chaos on her block:

“Lots of strange things going on on my block,” she said. “Cars are racing up and down, kids are outdoors unmonitored. I think we should come together. Kids on yellow buses are standing up and throwing things out the window, while the kids on city buses sit down. It’s a quality-of-life issue. Why is this going on?” she asked.

“Lots of people on that block are fearful,” Quick said.  “We are not turning our backs there. My officers know about that abandoned building, and we’re working with the bank to take action. Safety is paramount.”

But, he explained, so far Housing Preservation (HPD) and the Buildings Department don’t want to close this building, which is off Ft. Hamilton Parkway, for fear of adding to the local homeless population. He also offered to set up a meeting between the synagogue and the local people to work out difficulties, since both sides have grievances, he said.

Crime Report

At the November 7 meeting, Commander Quick fretted about the first rise in weekly CompStat figures during the 2016 calendar year. The 28-day figures were up 8 percent for a total of 94 crime complaints vs 87 in 2015, but the year-to-date figures were still down 10.1 percent, he said. Felonious Assault has jumped in 2016, up 16.7 percent from 2015. Robberies had also increased by 28.6 percent in past 28 days, but the patrol unit made 11 arrests (more than the 9 recorded robberies).

At the November 21 meeting, robberies continued to concern him. By now they’d increased 37.5 percent in past 28 days, especially in the Asian community along 8th Avenue, he said.

To counteract the increase, Quick said, he’s working with the auxiliaries and BACOP (Brooklyn Asian Civilian Observation Patrol), doing more crime prevention outreach, partnering with the 72nd Precinct (which commands the other side of 8th Avenue), and the precinct’s specialty units.

Grand Larceny phone theft and purse snatches are also continuing problems. The September and October Cops of the Month award went to anticrime officers who caught Grand Larceny perps.

Last summer it was a guy on a bike grabbing cell phones as he rode by, but he was caught. Then on September 6, around 10pm on 9th Avenue in the 50th streets and October 28, at 59th Street and 8th Avenue, the anticrime (plainclothes) unit noticed guys checking out women absorbed by their phones. A close reading of the perps’ body language were the tip-offs for these officers who caught two thieves on each occasion and also returned her purse to one woman.

In other crime news, Quick said the precinct’s arrests were up 7 percent.  The two recent rapists had also been arrested. In both cases, they knew their victims. This often holds true for felonious assaults, he said, where perp and victim are acquainted with one another, albeit casually. These incidents can start with an argument about a parking space, or between a landlord/tenant or over other common disagreements.

Felix Burgos, the vice chair, ran the meeting and offered a prayer for the precinct and its community, giving thanks for friends, family, and neighborhood; asking for God’s blessings to face their many challenges. Perhaps he had Tuesday’s election on his mind, the death of NYPD Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, 41, killed in a firefight, and the sudden death of Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson.

The precinct now has a new executive officer, Capt. Robert Cornwell, who has been at the precinct about four months. It also has a new Special Operations Lieutenant, Lt. Salvatore LaTorre, replacing Lt. Michael Andreano who was recently stripped of his gun and badge while out on sick leave, another casualty, it would appear, of the US Attorney’s probe into NYPD corruption in which former local Shomrim member Alex “Shaya” Lichtenstein pleaded guilty.

In a conversation with Captain Quick, this reporter asked if he had any comments on the abrupt retirement of Det. Mike Milici and Deputy Inspector John Sprague, a former 66th Precinct commander; Milici’s subsequent firing; and now Andreano’s benching. Capt. Quick said he knew no more than what was printed in the papers and would prefer to think the best of these officers until he saw evidence to the contrary.

Celebrate the holidays with the 66th Precinct Community Council at its next meeting, Monday, December 19, 7pm, at CB 12’s office. They’ll be some holiday party food.