Commander: Stolen Phones Causing Spike
The 110th Precinct has had a rough couple of weeks, officials said at the 110th Precinct Community Council meeting on Monday, May 20, at Flanders Field VFW Post 150 in Corona.
“We’ve been having a really good run with crime year-to-date, but unfortunately, in the last month, we’ve been struggling a little bit,” Deputy Inspector Ronald Leyson, the force’s commanding officer, said.
Crime jumped 28.6 percent for the week of May 13-19. Indexed crimes are up nine percent for the year, but the total number of indexed crimes this year is still 1.9 percent lower than this time last year, according to police statistics. Burglaries have also dropped significantly.
Grand larcenies are hitting the precinct hard, according to Leyson.
He told the council that phone snatchings, which are considered a grand larceny because perps steal the phones directly off of victims, are still a huge problem for the NYPD.
The last week saw a 162 percent increase in grand larcenies with 21 reported for the week and eight reported in that time span last year.
“It’s really driving my crime,” he said.
Indeed, 21 of 36 crimes reported in the 110th Precinct that week were grand larcenies-many were phone thefts and larcenies by pickpockets reported in connection with a music festival held in the Citi Field parking lot, he said.
While robberies are down year-todate. There has been a statistical increase over the last 28 days-21 occurred this month and 19 occurred this month last year. Seven of those 21 were reported last week.
The week saw two auto thefts, and over the last 28 days, there has been a 125 percent increase in stolen autos with nine versus four during the same period in 2012. There have been 40 stolen vehicles reported this year versus 35 this time last year.
He said there are no particular cars or areas thieves are targetting.
Leyson said the thefts are often a crime of opportunity, where an individual leaves his or her car running and unattended for a moment only to return and find it gone.
Felony assaults are up slightly for the year at 106 versus 103, but they took a strong dip over the last month with 14 versus 23.
The precinct is down 20 percent in burglaries this year, with 89 reported since Jan. 1 and 112 reported this time last year.
More rapes have been reported in the precinct than at this time last year. There have been 15 reported rapes this year versus eight between Jan. 1 2012 and May 19, 2012.
Top cops recognized
The council also honored several officers for good police work-one a special patrolman at LeFrak City; the others, the precinct’s Cops of the Month.
Special Patrol Anton Batts, a peace officer working for Mid-City Security, was honored by the precinct for helping bust two robbers in LeFrak City.
Leyson praised Batts and the Mid-City Security for having a finger on the pulse of what goes on in LeFrak City, one of the largest private apartment complexes in the country.
After viewing security footage of a LeFrak resident and a regular visitor beating up and robbing two individuals, Batts was able to identify one of the suspects. He came upon him over the course of a regular patrol and detained the suspect until the NYPD could arrive.
“Their knowledge of the residents and the people that frequent LeFrak … is invaluable,” Leyson said.
Batts has been working as a special patrol at LeFrak for nine years, he said.
Leyson said Batts has “a wealth of knowledge of who the players are” at the housing development. “He’s been instrumental in the past in working with us,” he said.
Leyson also named three officers his Cops of the Month: P.O. William Kelly, P.O. Justin Kallaher and Sgt. Steve Bhagan. Using a number of tools and skills, the officers helped bust an underage phone thief.
The suspect snatched a phone from a woman who was standing at a bus stop in Elmhurst Saturday morning. He fled into a subway, but came up the other side, rather than going through the turnstile.
While canvassing, Kallaher and Kelly saw an individual fitting the suspect’s description and stopped him for questioning.
“This is a prime example of ‘stop, question and frisk’when its affective and proper,” Leyson said.
He told the council the suspect was found to have no phone on him, and the victim could not positively identify him because the theft happened so quickly. The officers were limited in their ability to question the suspect since he was a minor, Leyson noted.
The suspect’s mother showed up to claim the teen, who the officers had to let go in lieu of evidence against him.
“The mom, thankfully, had enough of the kid,” Leyson said, adding that she expressed an interest in family court to the officers.
Bhagan suggested the mother bring her son to the station so they could talk more about counselling and intervention. In the meantime, officers went out and obtained security footage that could be used to identify the suspect, Leyson said.
Once the officers placed the suspect under arrest, he made a spontaneous utterance, asking whether he’d be let go if he gave the phone back, Leyson said.
“This is exceptional police work-this is stuff some crime scene investigators do, but mostly, this is stuff a detective unit does,” Leyson told the council.
The Cop of the Month plaque is donated by the Times Newsweekly.
Zoo gets new animals
Scott Silver of the Queens Zoo took a moment to address the council and talk abou some of the programs the zoo offers.
He explained several themed events the zoo holds, including Halloween hunted houses, an Easter egg hunt and Lunar NewYear celebrations.
He also gave a preview of some new animals. The zoo now has a Texas Longhorn and a baby Pudu- the smallest of the deer family, according to Silver. It is also anticipating a baby elk, two more adult male sea lions and an Andean Bear, he said.
The 110th Precinct Community Council holds its monthly meetings at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of the Month at Flanders Field VFW Post #150, located at 51-11 108th St. in Corona. The next meeting is scheduled for June 17.
