Flatbush Shomrim Honored At 70th Precinct Community Council Meeting

The 70th Precinct Community Council meeting was a lively event Wednesday evening. Elected officials from both city and state government came to wish the community a happy holidays and honor the Flatbush Shomrim for their work in the community over the last 26 years. The audience was also full of children waiting for Santa to arrive.

Public officials who presented the Flatbush Shomrim with a citation included State Assembly Member Dov Hikind, State Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte, State Senator Simcha Felder, City Council Member Chaim Deutsch, City Council Member Jumaane Williams, and City Council Member Mathieu Eugene. Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Richard di Blasio also presented the Shomrim with a citation.

State Senator Simcha Felder also took the moment to express his opposition to the elimination of Stop and Frisk. “People do not feel as safe as they did. Police officers deserve more recognition for doing the same job but without all of the tools,” said Felder.

70th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Richard di Blasio spoke briefly about the state of crime in the area. Though he said, “It’s not appropriate to get into too much of this tonight because this is a celebration and there are kids here waiting for Santa.”

He emphasized that overall crime in the precinct is down 5 percent over last years, which makes it 20 consecutive years of major crime trending down. Robberies are up slightly in the area, but are projected to still be the second lowest year since tracking with Compstat was introduced.

Finally, after nearly an hour of patiently waiting, it was time for kids’ activities, food, and Santa. Community Council member Nathan Thompson did a magic show and then Santa showed up in blue, because as Community Council president Ed Powell said, “Santa is a police officer.”