Fewer Traffic Injuries, Credit Fraud, And Citywide Training Efforts For The NYPD

Captain Peter Fiorillo and Captain Benjamin Lee of the 88th Precinct are among those in the NYPD undergoing department-wide training to “shift our focus onto solving the problem instead of finding a [short-term] solution,” noted Lee at the February 17 meeting of the precinct’s Community Council.

As the precinct’s commanding officer and executive officer, respectively, the two will take what they’ve learned and use it to inform how they tackle day-to-day crime-fighting and crime-prevention efforts.

“For example, in the past, we would send guys to a problem without targeting [the specific] group that was causing the problem,” Lee explained. “No more casting a wide net. [It’ll be] qualitative, not quantitative.”

While those efforts roll out over the next few weeks and months, crime continued to fall in January and early February — followed by a spike in grand larcenies and assaults in the shortest month of the year’s second week.

According to Lee, “our biggest issue, still, are grand larcenies, about half of which are missing Citi Bikes and [the other] half being credit fraud and a handful of unattended property.” So in short, monitor your accounts often and don’t leave your bags, electronics and valuables unattended or in plain view.

Similarly, don’t leave a spare key in your car because thieves can go “car shopping” in a parking garage or less monitored street. There has been a slight uptick in thefts of motorcycles and scooters parked outside homes and apartment buildings, so if you can bring it inside, do that.

Residential burglaries have plummeted since last year, though, and in January, a man was arrested after neighbors saw him “prowling on the fire escape, trying windows.”

Another arrest took place for a shooting at the Whitman Houses in January, and a suspect is still being sought for a shooting in early February at 14 Auburn Place in the Ingersoll Houses.

Traffic injuries and collisions are also down, with 50 percent fewer pedestrian collisions and about 66 percent fewer bicycle collisions. However, among the incidents that are occurring, the majority of them involved people crossing against the signal and bicyclists running red lights or riding against traffic.

To that end, Lee said that the precinct would be increasing enforcement of driving/cycling safety laws.

The next meeting of the 88th Precinct Community Council will be on Tuesday, March 17 at 7pm at the French Speaking Baptist Church, entrance at Willoughby and Vanderbilt Avenues.