What A Difference One Year Makes In The 70th Precinct

Highlights from Wednesday’s 70th precinct Community Council meeting:

• 70th Precinct has a new Captain: Captain Megan O’Malley joined NYPD 10 years ago and has served at the 70th Precinct twice, most recently as part of the Narcotics division. She’s replacing Captain Ludwig Romero, who will be moving on to the 71st Precinct.

• In 2016, overall crime dropped 14.7 percent compared to 2015. Murders were down to 5 from 17. However, rapes were up. In 25 of 26 incidents, both parties knew each other. In the one stranger rape attempted near Tennis Court and Ocean Avenue last May, the attackers were apprehended within days, according to Deputy Inspector Palumbo. There were 233 Robberies in 2016.

• This year is off to a rough start: with one attempted stranger rape, one domestic murder on Wednesday, and the horrific collision on Caton Avenue that claimed a woman’s life. The attackers in both attempted rape and murder are in custody, and no criminality is suspected for the 18-wheeler that hit a pedestrian on Caton Avenue.

• The commercial robbery during the first week of January has rattled some merchants along Coney Island Avenue, who expressed feeling unsafe despite increased police presence and were asking for a plan to bring down crime along the Avenue. Two officers and a civilian were recognized for apprehending a man who was robbing the store at  1050 Coney island Avenue at Foster Avenue on January 8th. A loaded 380 caliber gun was recovered, and the robber is in custody.

• There were about 50 neighbors as well as assorted representatives of elected officials present. Many attendees stood up to thank officers for helping resolve noise and other quality of life issues, as well as commend them for improving relations with the communities of color. They thanked NCO Officers for going above and beyond to inform and work with them, even when issues were not technically crimes. It was nice to note how different the feeling in the room compared to last year.

• Community policing that was introduced last January, has so far resulted in better police-community relations, no small feat given that the size of the police force in the 70th precinct was increased from 167 to 284 officers.