HB thefts continue

After a lull of about 20 days, it was announced by officers of the 106th Precinct that two more homes have been burglarized in the Howard Beach area in the last week.
The latest burglaries occurred Thursday, January 24 and Sunday, January 27. This brings to 12 the number of unsolved burglaries in Howard Beach since last December.
Police Officer John Dombrowski of the 106th Precinct attended the year’s first meeting of the Howard Beach Civic Forum to address concerns regarding the rash of burglaries in the area.
Residents were assured that the 106th Precinct is doing everything they can to investigate.
“The 106th is out in full force exploring every lead and questioning any people whose behavior in the area would be suspect.” Dombrowski said. He was not sure if the initial lull was in response to the increased police presence in the area after the rash of burglaries that started in December.
Dombrowski reports that 106th Precinct officers have been stopping people and questioning them.
“The burglary unit has been working extra hours. The detective squad is checking out many leads. Unmarked vehicles have been brought in to patrol the streets,” he said. “These crimes are not being taken lightly.”
He urged people to call in anything out of the ordinary and call cops any suspicious character no matter who they are.
“If you see something that looks suspicious say something,” P.O. Dombrowski said. “There is an aggressive ongoing investigation to catch these guys.”
Cops believe the suspects to be two light-skinned Hispanic males.
If you have any information regarding this case, contact the 106th Precinct at 718-845-2211.
When one resident commented that patrol cars were not being seen, Dombrowski responded, “The 106th Precinct covers a large area geographically. All calls that come in have to be answered.” Dombrowski continued by saying that the officers can’t possibly be everywhere at once.
Nina DeBlasio, vice president of the Howard Beach Civic Forum, confirmed Dombrowski’s claims that the 106th Precinct is doing everything in its power with the resources they have.
“I speak with the Captain [Commanding officer Joseph Courtesis] every day,” DeBlasio said. “There is no doubt in my mind that they are doing the best they can.”
DeBlasio stated that residents in the community have to continue to be vigilant and advised them to call 9-1-1 instead of the precinct. “Stop calling the precinct. Call 9-1-1 because the [police] cars are in the neighborhood. The 9-1-1 call goes right through. They’re responding. The captain is listening to the radio all the time,” DeBlasio said.
Howard Beach resident Barbara K. Brumberg, who has an alarm in her home and feels secure, has noticed the increased presence.
“I see squad cars and in fact sometimes I see them like bananas, in bunches.”
Councilmember Joseph Addabbo attended the meeting and stated his concerns about the recent defections of NYPD officers to other counties, including Nassau County and even New Jersey for more lucrative jobs. Addabbo believes that this will hurt the city’s ability to fight crime with fewer cops on patrol because of the shortage of police officers.
“The city must find the dollars necessary to give police officers a raise,” Addabbo said. “We need more cops on our streets.”
In November 2007, PBA (Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association) President Patrick J. Lynch announced that 45 fully-trained and highly-experienced NYPD officers had resigned to join the Nassau County police department for higher pay. Top pay for NYPD officers is $59,588 while top pay in Nassau is $91,737. The starting pay in Nassau County is $34,000 annually which increases to $44,360 after 12 months. Starting pay for the NYPD is $25,100 which increases to $32,700 annually after 6 months.
In the first 10 months of 2007, 820 NYPD officers resigned from their positions. The most recent NYPD graduation had only 914 graduates in its 2007 class and the latest recruitment effort netted only 1,028 new recruits.