104th Precinct Self-Monitor Response Times
The 104th Precinct wants to improve the way it handles 311 complaints by giving itself a 60-minute time limit to respond, officials told the 104th Precinct Community Council last Wednesday, Apr. 24, at Ridgewood’s Gottscheer Hall.
“We, on our own, weren’t very happy with the way 311s were always being handled, said Capt. John Travaglia, executive officer of the 104th Precinct. … In some places we know we have a deficiency.
He said the policy was instituted a little over a week ago, partially stemming from parking complaints where drivers who were blocked-in were made late for work.
“We have a policy that, from the minute a 311 call is received to the 104 precinct, we will settle for nothing less than a 60-minute disposition,” he said. “We are going to police that ourselves.”
Anticipating warm weather, the precinct is also beginning to crack down on quality-of-life issues such as open containers and people in parks after dark, Travaglia said.
“In regards to that, 311 [calls] fall into ‘quality-of-life.’ They’re going to be making sure there’s extra vigilance,” he said.
Crime declining
Capt. Christopher Manson, the precinct’s commanding officer, told the council that “crime is down dramatically in the past several weeks.”
Overall, felony assaults and burglaries have been higher this year than last. But there has been a reduction in both categories over the last month with drastic reductions between the week of Apr. 15-20.
Felony assault and burglaries are up 11.9 percent and 10.5 percent for the year, respectively.
Crime is down for the year 6.3 percent, robbery and stolen cars continue their trends downward.
In the last month, there was one robbery versus eight during the same month last year.
Manson talked about a series of sexual assaults that have been hurting the 104th and other precincts over the last few weeks. The Times- Newsweekly has reported on these incidents as information has become available.
Most recently in the 104th Precinct, a man in Ridgewood is trying to pick up young girls in a black SUV, Manson said.
The suspect approaches highschool age girls along Fairview Avenue in the vicinity of Grover Cleveland High School, telling them that he owns a bar or club and wants them to work for him, according to police.
So far two people have reported the man. Both were teenage girls who declined the man and told their parents, who alerted police, Manson said. The suspect is white and in his 40s, he noted.
There has also been a string of attacks in the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick in which a man gropes women from behind and punches them in the head.
Manson warned that the attacks are happening in the vicinity of L train stations. The suspect is a male hispanic in his 20s with a mustache.
The individual in the 102nd Precinct attacking women jogging in Forest Park is still operating, Manson said.
A Howard Beach man was arrested, Apr. 2, in connection with the case, but he was since cleared, according to police reports.
The attacker has hit in Forest Park seven times in the last two years, Manson told the council.
In most cases, the suspect poses as a jogger and attacks female joggers. In one incident, it was reported he used a stun gun on a woman before dragging her into nearby bushes.
Manson, said the man gets scared off easily, however, and has not raped anyone. The incidents are sexual assaults and attempted rapes, according to police reports.
The suspect is described as a white male, possibly of Eastern European descent in his mid-20s to early-30s standing about 5’9″ with a muscular build a silver hoop earring, according to Manson.
The patterns in the 83rd and 102nd precincts have not reached the 104th Precinct, officials noted.
Travaglia said vigilance is the best way to help prevent further attacks.
“If you see anything-it could look like a dispute; it could look like two people just arguing-just pay special attention and call 911 right away if you see anything suspicious,” Travaglia told the Farmers’ Oval Civic Association, Apr. 24.
Tire and rim thefts
Aresident at the precinct community council asked about tire and rim thefts. Manson stated the precinct has had a good week, but noted the thefts come in waves.
He explained that it is difficult to catch tire thieves, because there are few people around to report incidents and the ratio of late-night police patrols to streets in the precinct makes stumbling upon a theft a “rarity.”
Calling 911 to report suspicious activity is the best way to stop a theft, he said.
The next meeting of the 104th Precinct Community Council will be at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, at Maspeth High School.
