But Overall Crime Drops, Says 83rd Capt.
A spike in robberies and crime at train stations were addressed during a packed 83rd Precinct Community Council meeting last Tuesday, Oct. 21 at the Bushwick stationhouse.
Capt. Max Tolentino, the precinct’s commander, updated attendees on crime in the precinct over the last 28-day period, noting an overall decrease for the month and year.
He briefly addressed the shocking death of a 3-year-old Bushwick girl that made headlines throughout the city as well.
“We took one murder in the 28-day period, and we know what that one was,” Tolentino said. “One life lost here in Bushwick is one life too many.”
There was one murder and one rape in the period last year, he said.
The captain noted a four percent decrease in crime for the year, with 1,420 total crimes versus 1,479 in 2013.
“The precinct is in a good place,” Tolentino said. “Every number represents one less person that is being victimized out there.”
There were 29 robberies over the last month, compared to 23 in 2013.
“We are seeing a spike in robberies,” he said. “We are addressing that.”
He noted that four young people were robbed in Bushwick Park at knifepoint, and their cell phones were stolen.
School safety team officers were deployed and have been effective, Tolentino said.
“Since we put them out there, we have really deterred any additional crimes,” he said.
There were 24 assaults versus 32 in 2013, a 25 percent decrease, the captain noted.
In addition to the rise in robberies, residential burglaries went up, according to the captain.
“We’re actually up in burglaries 45 versus 40, an increase of 12.5 percent,” Tolentino stated. “We’re now deploying additional resources over to the areas of Wyckoff [Avenue], Flushing Avenue, Irving [and] St. Nicholas [avenues], in an attempt to curtail the activity.”
“We’re confident that with some time we are going to get the burglary under control,” he added.
He noted precinct crime prevention officers can visit homes to asses the vulnerability to break-ins.
To help prevent a burglary, Tolentino advised residents to always lock their doors, even if just going out for a minute.
“I’ve seen some opportunists, watching people leave for school, or go out for coffee or something like that,” Tolentino stated. “When you step out of your apartment, you’ve always got to lock your doors.”
He reminded attendees that most buildings in the neighborhood are connected, and though one building may be safe crooks can access adjacent apartment houses through the roofs.
“In these cases, a majority of them are residential. A lot of it was where they circumvented the door locks and broke into the apartment,” Tolentino said.
Grand larcenies and grand larceny auto decreased, he said. There were 36 grand larcenies versus 52, a decrease of 30.8 percent, and 11 vehicles stolen, compared to 12 last year.
The precinct reported 147 total crimes compared to 161 in the period, an 8.7 percent decrease in crime, according to the captain.
Crime in transit
Commanding officer of Transit District 33, Capt. Francis Giordano, which covers several train lines that run through the area was introduced to the community, and he updated residents on crimes at stations in Bushwick.
“For the 28-day period regarding crime, we don’t have any index crimes to report in these stations that we cover in Bushwick,” he said.
Index crimes are those the FBI uses to produce its annual crime index, and include homicide, rape, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, larceny over $50, motor vehicle theft, and arson, according to law enforcement officials.
“Specifically regarding robberies, we are down three index crimes, there were 33 this year compared to 36 in 2013,” Giordano said. “Felony assaults are down, there has been one this year, compared to three last year.”
“We do have some quality of life issues that we deal with regularly in Bushwick,” he said. “One of the issues is individuals selling swipes, specifically at DeKalb Avenue. We continue to address the issue.”
Three arrests were made recently in connection with the problem, Giordano noted.
He advised attendees to remain aware while riding the train, especially during odd hours.
“Sixty-six percent of the index crimes in Transit District 33 at the stations that we cover are grand larcenies,” he said. “30 percent of those involve sleeping passengers. Please remain alert while you are on the train traveling during the late night hours.”
The 83rd Precinct Community Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month at the Bushwick stationhouse, located at 480 Knickerbocker Ave. Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
