Police Arrest 15 For Burglaries

A total of 15 arrests have been made over the past two weeks and police have determined that the individuals taken into custody were involved in burglaries throughout Queens and Nassau.
Last week, The Queens Courier reported on the continuing surge in burglaries in a select grouping of primarily residential areas in Queens. The 106,107, 109 and 111th Precincts all saw an average 172% rise in burglaries over the past month.
Captain John Doherty, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct told The Queens Courier in an exclusive interview early this week that "significant inroads have been made over the past two weeks."
Young Males Involved
The individuals arrested were between the ages of 16-20 predominantly of Indo-Caribbean background along with one white male and one Hispanic male.
According to Captain Doherty, the first group of individuals were residents from areas across the borough of Queens. The second group, arrested in two separate incidents last week, were all residents of either the 106th or 102nd Precincts.
Police sources say that there is still another group actively committing burglaries from Bayside to South Ozone Park and that the departments aggressive pursuit will not be relaxed until the surge in activity comes to an end.
Organized Ring?
Commenting on the possibility of an organized ring to be at the root of the burglaries, Captain Doherty said, "It is quite possible that the individuals arrested frequent the same social circles and may know one another."
At a press conference held on Monday, March 22, personnel from the department were recognized for their exemplary job performance and for their team efforts in arresting and subsequently debriefing the perpetrators. Among the NYPD personnel recognized were Sgt. Michael Prettitore and Sgt. Thomas Cea; Police Officers John Phelan, Christopher Innace, William Loschiano, Raymond Toscano, Nicholas Barnard, Louis Marrone; Detectives Keith Welz and Joe Carvano; and Lt. Guisella Rodriguez.
Captain Doherty also emphasized that although the precincts are experiencing a slowdown in the burglary siege; residents still need to be extremely alert.
"Keeping large sums of cash in your house makes you vulnerable, and if you must do it, then install a safe which is bolted into the floor."
Doherty continued, "Its very important that people living in these areas know that even though we expect to see a significant decline in these activities, we still depend on the eyes and ears of the people."