Oz. Pk. Bar Causing Issues In Community
The part-owner of an Ozone Park bar came to the 106th Precinct Community Council’s Wednesday, July 15 meeting with a parking concern, but got more than she bargained for when police claimed that her establishment had been caught serving to underage patrons.
The woman first told officers from the 106th Precinct that other homeowners on her block are attempting to reserve spots by placing garbage cans on the street. When her husband removed the can to park his car, he later found the air had been let out of his tires.
Capt. Thomas Pascale, the 106th Precinct’s commander, stated that reserving spots in that fashion is illegal.
That same resident later identified herself as a part-owner (with her husband and a third partner) of a bar on 107th Street off Rockaway Boulevard that, at previous meetings, was reportedly identified as a problem in the area.
According to Pascale, the bar has been caught serving to minors, and that outdoor sex acts and drug use have been common in the area outside the bar.
Lt. Eric Campbell of the 106th Precinct Special Operations Unit claimed that the bar had received “at least six or seven” summonses as recently as the Saturday before the meeting (July 8).
“We’re ging to take very strict enforcement action for the unlawful activity that takes place at that bar. The bar is a problem in the community,” Pascale stated.
Elizabeth Braton, the chairperson of Community Board 10, told the woman-who claimed not to be the primary owner of the bar-that if this continues, Board 10 will recommend that its State Liquor Authority license not be renewed.
P.O. Kenneth Zorn of the 106th Precinct Community Affairs Unit claimed that a previous establishment was closed to similar community issues.
He added that the location itself- on a side street close to area homes- is far from the ideal space for a bar.
Hindu family issue
Hindu families that fly flags over their home may be sending a message to would-be burglars, Pascale warned the crowd.
The ethnic flags often have religious significance, according to the commander.
However, Hindu families are often known to hold large quantities of gold jewelry into their home. The gold is often passed on from generation to generation. Criminals can see the flags flying outside and break into the home in hopes of finding the jewelry.
“I started tracking it, because I take the burglaries very seriously,” said Pascale, who stated that some families have told him they carry as much as $10,000 in jewelry in their homes.
Pascale and the precinct’s Anti- Crime Unit continues to speak to Hindu residents and leaders in the community in an effort to educate them about the ongoing crime.
Cop of the Month
P.O. Royce Poblete was named the 106th Precinct Cop of the Month for his work in arresting a man responsible for a Wednesday, June 27 shooting.
Called to Jamaica Hospital to investigate the shooting, Poblete-who had just arrived to the precinct after two years at the 103rd Precinct IMPACT zone-found the shot man uncooperative, according to Pascale.
Poblete and his partner went to the shot man’s home to find bloody footprints on the sidewalk that led to a nearby two-family home. They then saw a woman walking out of the home, as well as a trail of blood leading from sidewalk to the house.
“They stop this woman and they discover that she is in possession of a loaded revolver, a lot of crack cocaine, a lot of marijuana and a large amount of United States currency,” Pascale stated.
It was later learned that the woman was the shooter’s girlfriend. Poblete and his partner eventually found and arrested the perpetrator, who cooperated with police.
Pascale noted that Poblete processed the arrest and was back on the street in just 20 hours.
For his work, Pascale received a Cop of the Month plaque courtesy of the Times Newsweekly.
Other news
Pascale noted that identity theft crimes have increased in the area, with many residents having their credit card information stolen when they use local banks due to illegal tampering with automatic teller machines.
“It’s incredibly simple for them to do,” said the commander, who urged residents to “put your hand over the PIN pad when you’re punching your PIN number” to thwart would-be thieves.
Lieutenant Campbell, addressing complaints from previous meetings, told the crowd that the precinct has cracked down on loud house parties in Richmond Hill and Ozone Park.
The precinct’s Conditions team has done “a good job of shutting them down,” he noted.
In addition, a MARCH (Multi- Agency Response to Community Hotspots) operation has led to summonses of bars along 104th Street in Woodhaven.
The 106th Precinct Community Council will not meet in August. The 106th Precinct’s National Night Out Against Crime event will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at P.S. 232, located at 84th Street and 153rd Avenue in Lindenwood.
