By Howard Koplowitz
The 105th Precinct will be getting an unofficial boost in police presence in the form of mailmen they are training to look for suspicious activity in the wake of a spike in burglaries that has been plaguing the area.
Police Officer Bryan Wimpelberg, the precinct’s crime prevention officer, said he just launched the initiative and plans to expand it to cover utility and other workers. Most of the home burglaries are being committed during the day, according to the precinct.
Deputy Inspector Paul Piekarski, the commanding officer of the 105th, said his command has also seen an increase in grand larcenies and robberies.
“People are leaving their wallets, pocketbooks in the vehicles,” Piekarski told attendees of the precinct’s community council meeting last week. The 105th covers Glen Oaks, Queens Village, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens and Laurelton.
He said some of the crimes are committed by “opportunist burglars” who notice property inside a car or a vehicle with a key in the ignition.
“You can’t leave your keys in your car — you just can’t,” Piekarski said.
Due to those types of crimes being committed, he said, the precinct is going to start enforcing key ignition summonses.
“We want to get it out there that we’re not trying to hurt you,” he said, referring to expected complaints about the enforcement. “We’re trying to help you.”
Turning to crime prevention, Piekarski urged the public to take photographs of their valuable property and download them onto a portable device in the event their home is burglarized. He said leaving the pictures on a computer are not helpful because most thieves will most likely take laptops when they break into a house.
He also told the attendees to avoid buying car parts on the Web site Craigslist because a majority of the items are stolen. He said the precinct routinely has officers scouring the Web site to find stolen property and were able to make an arrest recently using that technique.
“Craigslist is a criminal’s list, actually,” Piekarski said.
He said the precinct has requested “additional resources” because of the increases in burglaries and robberies.
The 105th recently set up vehicle checkpoints near Hempstead Avenue in Queens Village, which he said led to complaints from residents who said the car stops interrupted their travel.
“If I see a spike in those locations, I put my cops there,” he said, noting that his officers made six to eight arrests at the checkpoints, including one who had a previous arrest for murder.
Capt. Mike Coyle, the executive officer of the 105th, told the attendees that leaving a bag in the car, even if it is just a makeup bag with nothing valuable inside, attracts potential burglars.
He said suction cups on the windshield of a car alert burglars that a satellite radio may be inside and gives them another reason to strike.
“They’re dirtbags that walk around this neighborhood,” he said of the criminals.
Coyle urged anyone who notices suspicious activity to alert the police.
“ ‘See something, say something,’ ” he said, referring to the NYPD slogan. “It’s corny, but it works.”
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e−mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 173.
