Follows Six Percent Decrease Last Year
After a significant six-percent drop in crime in Bushwick in 2013, the new year has seen crime numbers rise, according to the 83rd Precinct’s commanding officer, who addressed the matter at the 83rd Precinct Community Council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 18.
“Right now we got about a nineteen percent increase in crime in 2014,” Deputy Inspector Anthony Tasso said. He then explained that these numbers are slightly skewed due to the successes of the previous year.
“We certainly have some crime issues going on. But it’s also because we had such a great year in 2013,” Tasso stated.
Though Bushwick has seen a major population increase in recent years, crime was down on the whole in 2013, making the numbers from the early part of 2014 seem like a huge jump. While Tasso lauded the “record crime decrease in the precinct in (2013),” he also reminded residents to remain vigilant.
Tasso cautioned residents coming home at night to make sure “they are aware of their surroundings,” and to dodge becoming a potential victim by avoiding tunnel-vision and having “their heads in their phones.”
Along with updating the community on crime in the precinct, Tasso outlined the most frequent types of offenses that are occurring.
Tasso stated that the three most common crimes in the area were home burglaries, scrapper burglaries where items are stolen from construction sites or abandoned homes, and muggings for electronic items like smart phones and tablet computers.
The commander cautioned residents to always keep their electronic devices with them in public spaces like bars and restaurants.
He also offered residents some practical advice on keeping their homes safe from potential burglars.
“Burglars, most of the time they hit you in the daytime when you aren’t home,” he said. “The most important thing you can do for burglaries is to keep your windows and doors locked, even if you are home.”
He then addressed and updated the community on a few scams that are occurring with increased frequency.
The first is called the “Con Ed Scam,” where a person acting as a respresentative of the utility company phones a resident telling them they have a delinquent account and may have their power turned off due to non-payment. The resident is then urged to buy a money card and call back to provide the account number so the perpetrator can access the cash.
Another frequent hustle is the Craigslist apartment scam where apartment seekers are duped into paying a security deposit or first month’s rent, but then are given keys to apartments that do not actually work.
A third scam is even more disturbing, as it preys on concern for loved ones. A person will receive a phone call and be told that a family member has been in an accident, is injured and needs help. Then the perpetrator will offer to help by asking for the victim to purchase a money card, which will then be drained of its value.
Responding to these scams commander Tasso said, “you have to use your gut instinct. If something doesn’t seem right, call us.”
The next 83rd Precinct Community Council meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Mar. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the precinct located at the corner of Knickerbocker Avenue and Bleecker Street in Bushwick.
