Transit Safety and Other Crime Prevention Tips from the 88th Precinct

With summer on the way, the 88th Precinct wants to remind Fort Greene and Clinton Hill residents to be on guard and keep in mind the warning signs of crime. Below are some tips from the precinct, including public transit safety, electronic device protection and burglary prevention.

Transit Safety:

The 88th Precinct has seen a recent trend of thefts on the B38 bus, with 10 such incidents reported so far this year.

In one recent incident, a 34-year-old woman told police that she boarded the B38 bus at the Jay and Smith Street stop on April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Before getting on the bus, she placed her iPhone 5 in her right coat pocket. When she got off the bus at the Lafayette and Vanderbilt Avenue stop at 7:45 p.m., she realized that the phone was gone. The woman told police the bus was very crowded. She does not have an application to help locate the phone.

In another incident, on April 18 at 4 p.m., a 50-year-old woman boarded the B38 bus on Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street when a group of kids entered and stood next to her. When the bus reached the Vanderbilt and Lafayette Avenue stop about five minutes later, the woman realized her purse, containing credit cards, a social security card and an identification card, was missing from her bag.

And on April 2 around 6:15 p.m., someone swiped a 31-year-old woman’s wallet on the bus around 6:15 p.m., police said. The woman got on the bus on Vanderbilt Avenue at Fulton Street, then put her MetroCard in her wallet, police said. She told police she realized the wallet— containing $134 in cash, MetroCards, a driver’s license, a Chase debit card and a Discover credit card — was missing at the Lafayette and Vanderbilt Avenue stop. The woman later found that someone made four transactions with her credit cards, purchasing four MetroCards.

The precinct is working to prevent thefts like these and to inform the community about the incidents, according to Deputy Inspector Scott Henderson. Extra officers are now stationed along the bus route on Lafayette and DeKalb Avenues, Mr. Henderson told attendees at last month’s precinct council meeting. Plainclothes officers also ride the bus, looking out for pickpockets, and handing out pamphlets about commuter awareness.

The pamphlet, also available at the precinct at 298 Classon Avenue, provides a list of safety tips for bus passengers:

• Be aware of your surroundings, especially when you’re in a crowded space.
• Hold your personal belongings tightly.
• Bring only items that you need when you go out. There’s no reason to bring extra cash or charge cards unless you intend to use them.
• Don’t display your electronic devices on the bus – and definitely don’t play games or use other programs on your devices that will distract you from your surroundings. Tuck your devices away and don’t keep them in outer pockets.
• Even during the daytime, it’s best to travel with company, because there is greater safety in numbers.
• Don’t leave any of your belongings unattended on the bus.

Electronic Device Protection

Electronic device theft numbers have varied from week to week in the 88th Precinct this year, with many thefts one week, and hardly any the next. An officer said the precinct does not keep exact numbers of how many electronics thefts occurred so far this year. The week of April 15 to 21 in particular saw an especially high number of these thefts — with nine cell phone robberies reported in the 88th Precinct that week alone. To avoid these and other electronics thefts, the precinct advises locals to remain alert and be aware of their surroundings, never leave devices unattended and enable safety features on cell phones such as a pin lock and the Find My iPhone app.

The precinct also advises signing up for a crime prevention program offered by the NYPD called Operation Identification, which registers the serial numbers of electronic devices. The process only requires electronic device users to provide their name, address, e-mail, phone number, device type and serial number. Devices can also be engraved with a serial number exclusive to each individual for free.

It’s much more difficult for thieves to get away with stealing electronics registered with Operation Identification. Here’s why:

• It’s harder to sell a device that has this identifying marking on it.
• Marked devices are easily traced back to their owners, even when they’re in a thief’s possession.
• If your electronics are registered with the NYPD, it’s more likely that police will be able to recover a stolen item.

Burglary Prevention

Thirty-six burglaries have been reported in the 88th Precinct as of April 28 — only one less than last year’s report of 37 at the same time, according to NYPD crime statistics. A community affairs officer at the 88th Precinct recently said that burglaries have become a problem in the precinct, in most cases because residents did not properly secure their homes.

The precinct provided a list of tips to keep your home safe from burglars:

• Trim any shrubbery that hides entrances, especially basement windows.
• Make sure that your address number is clearly marked on your house and illuminated by an entrance light, so officers will be able to quickly recognize your home.
• The doors to your home should be made of solid wood or metal, and they should have strike plates and hinges installed with three-inch screws.
• When it’s dark out, all of your home’s exterior lights — front and back — should be on, whether you are at home or away.
• Use deadbolt locks on all of your exterior doors.
• Don’t leave ladders outside, because burglars could use them to enter an upstairs window or fire escape.
• When you’re away from home, lock all of the windows in your home, as well as your shed or garage doors. Leave your radio on and use lights-on timers. Also, ask a neighbor to pick up your mail, change your lights and mow your lawn, to give your home a lived-in look.

For more crime prevention tips, or if you have any questions or concerns, you can contact the 88th Precinct’s Crime Prevention office at (718) 636-6526.