Guns Seized Where They’re Not Looking
An analysis of NYPD statistics by WNYC has found that stop-and-frisk activity is highin Bushwick, Queensbridge and along Roosevelt Avenue, but that most gun seizures in the city come from areas that are not devoting the most amount of resources to the procedure.
According to the data analyzed by the public radio station and overlaid onto a map, 685,000 stops took place in 2011, and about 770 resulted in the seizure of a firearm.
In the areas serviced by the Times Newsweekly, the locations with the most stop-and-frisk activity were the Queensbridge Houses; the area bounded by Palmetto street, Wyckoff Avenue, Wilson Avenue and Melrose Street in Bushwick; the area along Roosevelt Avenue between Broadway in Elmhurst and the Grand Central Parkway in Corona; and Citi Field and Aqueduct Racetrack.
While the Roosevelt Avenue corridor saw 10 guns retrieved at seven stops, six guns were recovered at four stops in Bushwick and only one gun was found as a result of a stop in Queensbridge.
Meanwhile, many locations throughout Queens with relatively low amounts of stop-and-frisk activity saw multiple guns recovered.
For instance, despite having relatively low amounts of stops, four guns were recovered in portions of Ridgewood (Cypress Avenue and Grove Street, Putnam and Fairview avenues, 64th Street and Catalpa Avenue, and Bleecker Street and Fresh Pond Road).
Other locations where more than one gun was retrieved in a low-activity area were 69th Street and Borden Avenue in Maspeth; Queens Boulevard and 39th Street in Sunnyside; 62nd Road and 99th Street in Rego Park; and Jamaica Avenue and 102nd as well as 107th streets in Richmond Hill.
According to an article accompanying the map, the NYPD claims that the data is evidence that the controversial program has been a success, stating that residents won’t carry weapons in areas where police activity is expected.
To see the full map, go to https://project.wnyc.org/stop-friskguns/.
