83rd Pct. Details Prevention Tips, Programs
Members of the 83rd Precinct gave Bushwick residents an overview of how to keep their homes and property safe at the 83rd Precinct Community Council’s Tuesday, Oct. 16 meeting at its Bushwick stationhouse.
“We’ve been having a rough year,” said Deputy Inspector Anthony Tasso, the precinct’s commanding officer, with crime up 13 percent so far this year.
Most of this increase comes in assaults and vehicle thefts, he noted; Tasso explained that the NYPD has had great success in battling stolen vehicles in the past 15 years.
He added that crime is up throughout the city, especially when it comes to property crimes such as the robberies and burglaries of elec- tronic devices such as smartphones and laptops. Jewelry thefts-from people and from homes-are also on the rise due to the high cost of gold.
He urged residents to guard against burglaries by keeping cars, doors and windows locked. Tasso pointed out that may burglaries in the area have had “very little if any force involved.”
P.O. Christopher Iannotti, the precinct’s new Crime Prevention ofby ficer, added that residents can also install FDNY-approved “ferry gates” that provide extra protection.
In addition, he asked the crowd to “[make] your property identifiable” by enrolling in Operation ID. In the program, an NYPD officer will write a unique number in invisible ink on an electronic device; if that device is stolen and later found, the police can identify the owner of the stolen property.
Iannotti noted that the number can only be seen under ultraviolet light.
Iannotti will have equipment set up at the next meeting of the 83rd Precinct Community Council to allow Bushwick residents to sign up for the program.
In addition, Tasso suggested taking photographs of jewelry to help police identify the goods if they are stolen.
To combat stolen autos, Iannotti noted that he can also sign residents up for the C.A.T. (Combat Auto Theft) program, where residents can affix stickers to their cars allowing the police to pull the car over between the hours of 1 and 5 a.m.
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Tasso also spoke to the family of Akeal Christopher, a young man gunned down on a Bushwick street earlier this summer.
“I don’t want you to get disheartened,” he stated. “The Detective Squad upstairs is very good and they don’t give up. We will find justice.”
Christopher’s family was in attendance to promote a march in his memory which took place on Friday, Oct. 19 (see the photo below).
Anita Haines, a member of Community Board 4, lauded Tasso and the 83rd Precinct for its work in cleaning up prostitution along Bushwick Avenue.
The precinct council is gearing up for its annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway.
Barbara Smith, the president of the council, announced that the precinct will be collected canned goods, turkeys and other food, as well as the names and contact information of needy families.
Smith urged residents to make sure that the canned goods have not expired before donating the cans.
The 83th Precinct Community Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the precinct stationhouse at 480 Knickerbocker Ave.
