By Thomas Tracy
The rise in burglaries that’s been hitting area neighborhoods is causing some residents to take up arms. Well, at least one resident. “I’m thinking of getting a gun, and if I get one you wouldn’t want to be a police officer in their precinct,” Futurama Civic Association President Eileen Cullen said Wednesday, voicing her outrage against the burglars giving residents her neighbors nothing but heartaches and headaches. Since late last year, burglaries in the 63rd Precinct have increased dramatically, with thieves breaking into back windows and doors. Although police said that the burglaries had subsided once they started narrowing in on a potential suspect, NYPD CompStat statistics show that burglaries have increased by 35 percent over the last 28 days, as of January 20, 2008. In an effort to encourage residents to better secure the home, cops from the 63rd Precinct sent out fliers to homes in Flatlands and surrounding areas. Cullen, however, told members of the 63rd Precinct Community Council Wednesday that neither she nor any of her neighbors received one. “Don’t get me wrong, the police that patrol our neighborhood are wonderful, so are the auxiliaries, but you said that you handed out fliers and not one of my neighbors got one,” Cullen explained, adding that since the leafleting, two more burglaries had taken place in her neighborhood. After investigating the complaint, cops from the 63rd Precinct determined that Cullen’s home was just outside of the area of Flatlands where they had distributed the fliers. “We handed out hundreds of fliers to make sure people are aware about what’s happening,” Deputy Inspector Frank Cangiarella said Thursday when contacted by this paper. Since the fliers went out, burglaries in the neighborhood have dropped, he explained. “We’re seeing a decrease this week and there is no longer a concentration, they are spread out,” he said. Still, the community needs to keep vigilant, he warned. “We have cops out, but there are hundreds of thousands of people who live in this command,” he said. “They’re part of the team.” Police Officer Phil Benoit, the 63rd Precinct’s crime prevention officer, explained to council members that burglars are probably the hardest thieves to catch. The burglars hitting the area are particularly hard to catch because they aren’t greedy – they’re just stealing whatever they can put in their pockets. “You’re not going to see them walking out of a house with a 19-inch plasma TV,” Benoit said. “Burglars have been going to town on us for a few months,” he told council members. “But we can fight back with a little common sense.” Before one leaves their home, they should make sure that all of their doors and windows are not closed and latched, but locked, he said. Residents with air conditioners should also make sure that their units are secured in the windows they are sitting in so no one could pull them out or push them in. Rear yards should also be well lit, Benoit explained. “Most burglars want to go about their business under the cover of darkness, they’re cowards. If the rear yards light up, they’ll move on. If you get them out of your yard before they can even try your window then that’s half the battle.” In the end, residents should use a tool each and everyone has – their gut. “If you have a bad feeling about someone you saw in the neighborhood, call 911,” he said. “Nine times out of ten your instincts are correct.” Deputy Inspector Cangiarella agreed. “When it comes to these burglaries, we are dealing with people who blend in. It’s probably a youth or a kid, but if you see something suspicious you should let us know” he said. “If you see a kid climbing over the fence, don’t think he’s playing tag with his buddy – he’s burglarizing your neighbor’s house.”
