CO Plans For Possible Loss Of Zone
The commanding officer of the 83rd Precinct detailed plans for the future at the 83rd Precinct Community Council’s Tuesday, Mar. 20 meeting in Bushwick-a future that may include fewer officers in the area.
Deputy Inspector Anthony Tasso told the crowd he was “gaining a little bit more experience” in the area since arriving at the 83rd Precinct earlier this year.
The commander said that the precinct has had “a rough start to 2012” with crime on the rise. He claimed that the warm weather has brought out more criminals compared to last year’s harsh winter weather.
Robberies of electronics have increased, Tasso said, urging residents to protect their property.
“Everybody gets lost in that texting stuff,” he warned. “Be careful and know your surroundings.”
He pointed to programs such as Operation ID, where electronic devices can be registered with the precinct.
Assaults have also risen, Tasso added, with the increase coming as the result of domestic violence incidents.
The precinct has a sergeant and four officers working to curb the crime, he stated, and told the crowd to call the precinct if they or someone they know is having domestic violence issues.
On a brighter note, the precinct is continuing to crack down on prostitution with the help of the citywide Vice Squad; 11 “johns” have been arrested over the past month.
“We’re going to be doing it at least once a month,” he said.
Future of IMPACT
Almost 80 officers are assigned to the precinct’s two IMPACT zones, according to the precinct commander one along Knickerbocker Avenue near Maria Hernandez Park, and one along Broadway and areas south.
“You’re fortunate to have them,” he said, expressing hope that the foot officers’ “high visibility” will lead to a drop in crime.
However, he admitted that he was “not confident” that the zones would last, as the precinct has had them for some time and that they are not intended to be permanent but rather rotated throughout the city’s different precincts. The officers in the zone, which are usually sent there straight from the Police Academy, will be dispersed among the city.
“I would venture to guess soon [that] they’re going to take the officers from one of those zones,” he said. “At some point something’s going to give and theyre going to send these officers to other precincts throughout the city.”
Tasso added that he will move his officers around and re-deploy his resources to compensate for the possible loss of the IMPACT zone.
Getting on a ride
As the city gears up for the first phase of a massive bike-sharing initiative, Philip Noyes of the Department of Health presented an overview of cycling in the city and its effects on health.
According to Noyes, 70 percent of residents in Bushwick and Williamsburg are either overweight or obese. Seventeen percent are diabetic.
“Both are much higher rates than what you see citywide,” he said.
More physical activity, he said, could save 6,300 deaths a year in New York City. One of the ways to promote physical activity is to encourage the use of what Noyes called “active transportation,” such as walking or cycling.
The number of commuter cyclists has quadrupled since 2000, Noyes noted, and surveys have shown a correlation between an increase in cycling and a decrease in adult obesity rates.
“Just a little bit of physical activity- just 15 minutes a day-shows an all-cause mortality reduction of 14 percent,” said Noyes.
“With more people using the roads for physical activity, you would think there would be a relationship between more people biking and more people walking and crashes” Noyes claimed; however, “for traffic, it doesn’t work exactly like that,” as research found that when more cyclists and people are sharing roadways, the rate of car crashes is reduced.
According to Noyes, bike lanes force drivers to “modify their behavior,” as they have been found to narrow roadways, focus driver attention and increase awareness of the road.
According to the city Department of Transportation, city streets have been made 75 percent safer for cyclists since 2002.
Noyes then turned to the bike share program, which will include 10,000 bikes at 600 kiosks throughout the city, including one tentatively planned for the Bedford-Stuyvesant area near the precinct’s southwestern border.
The program will offer an annual membership or a daily membership that will offer 45-minute trips from kiosk to kiosk. Longer rides will be charged at an additional rate.
“It’s all focused on short trips,” said Noyes, explaining that the kiosks are intended to connect cyclists to transportation hubs such as city subways.
The bikes will have GPS tracking devices installed and be heavier than most bikes to discourage theft. Discussions are ongoing on whether the bikes will come with helmets.
If successful, the program will be expanded to a second phase that would include locations in Bushwick.
“We all could lose a few pounds, but I’m here for safety,” said P.O. Stacy Cubells, who handles traffic issues in the 83rd Precinct.
Cubells reminded residents to be alert on the street, asking them to “try texting and walking at the same time and looking up. Cannot be done.”
In addition, she reminded cyclists to obey vehicle traffic laws, stating that “we have bikes that aren’t following the rules of the road.”
Other news
Five officers who helped rescue residents of a Bushwick apartment building from a Bleecker Street blaze last year will soon be given state certificates praising them for their work. The officers will be honored at a future ceremony, according to 83rd Precinct Community Council President Barbara Smith.
P.O. Damarys Franco of the 83rd Precinct Community Affairs Unit urged residents to call the precinct if they see a home that has been vacated. Smith expressed concern than squatters have been entering homes and getting cable service installed as a way of gaining proof of address.
The 83rd Precinct Community Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the precinct stationhouse, at 480 Knickerbocker Ave. in Bushwick.
