Looting Not That Bad, Police Presence High

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, we’ve all seen the images reflecting the fear of widespread chaos and looting. Luckily, according to NYPD data released in a New York Daily News report, the level of major crime post-Sandy has been down, and looting, the crime most feared during a week of recovery, has only shown a minor uptick.

The encouraging numbers reflect the smart decision the NYPD made in deploying its units in preparation for dealing with the storm’s aftermath. A police source told Sheepshead Bites that approximately 125 additional police officers were dispatched to our area in the days following the storm. The main objective of the expanded police presence was to prevent looting by keeping a high profile. They were mostly dispatched to hard hit residential areas such as Gerritsen Beach and Manhattan Beach, as well as Emmons Avenue, but high police visibility was the goal throughout all of Zone A.

The efforts to combat the potential crime and looting seems to have paid off according to the crime report. Grand larceny was down 48 percent, robberies were down 30 percent, and felony assaults were down 31 percent. The only area of crime that saw a minor increase was burglary, as it rose three percent compared to the same week last year.

“The fact that burglaries are up is not surprising,” NYPD Spokesperson Paul Browne told The Daily News. “There are a lot of unlit areas.”

This minor increase in burglary aside, Browne added that the crime and looting rate during the post-Sandy recovery week doesn’t even compare to previous blackouts New York City suffered in the past.