Cops Can’t Crack Down On Drug Activity At Local Park Because Of Striking Verizon Workers

Neighbors living near a troubled playground will have to wait for the Verizon strike to be resolved before police reinstate a regular patrol to deter drug activity in the area.

Speaking at the community council meeting Wednesday, Captain Winston Faison said he planned to bring back a daily patrol that last year helped clear criminal activity at Homecrest Park. But his officers are currently tied up supervising Verizon workers’ daily rallies.

“Right now we got the Verizon strike going on so I’ve got to put two cops over there. So we are moving resources from one location to the next location,” Faison explained.

During the meeting, a neighbor warned warming weather is bringing riff raff back into the park and asked when the patrol would come back.

“There’s a lot of drug activity on the kids playground. I have to constantly approach kids who do drugs over there,” said the father of two, who did not want to give his name. “It’s not only marijuana. I’m finding heroin packets and syringes.”

Not having the patrol threatens to undo progress made last year, when a group of residents, supported by Councilman Chaim Deutsch, asked police to assigned an officer on daily patrols in the area. The officer moved between Homecrest Park and the subway station to scare away drug users and vagrants. The Parks department also installed a gate to lock up the playground at night.

The neighbor said calling police isn’t helpful, because the drug users stop their activity when they see a patrol car. Only the consistent presence of law enforcement can clean up the area, he explained.

“The parents have been trying to do what we can. But we could use some help,” he said.

Faison said he was aware of the problems at Homecrest Playground and his officers are working diligently to rid the neighborhood of narcotics — regularly pursuing drug dealers and executing search warrants.

“I don’t want you guys to get the impression that we’re not looking for the drug addicts and the drug dealers,” he said. “We make a lot of arrests over drugs.”

City Councilman Chaim Deutsch said at the meeting that further improvements are coming to Homecrest Playground. The Parks Department is moving forward on projected $5.1 million renovation of the park. Deutsch said his office has also offered $1.7 million for project and he’s asked other elected officials to chip in.

“We’re going to have a nice project coming up for Homecrest Playground and there will be zero tolerance for any drug use,” Deutsch said.