Crime in the 108th Precinct has drastically decreased so far in 2015, with reports down by 23 percent for the year overall, police reported during Tuesday’s 108th Precinct Community Council meeting in Sunnyside.
“When looking at crime overall, it’s a great trend that we’re seeing right now,” said Capt. John Travaglia, the precinct’s commanding officer, who credited his patrol officers and anti-crime teams for their work in keeping the neighborhood safe.
According to Travaglia, there have been fewer incidents this year in nearly all categories versus the same 28-day period from last year. Felony assault is down by 60 percent, with six reported versus last year’s 15. Burglaries are also down by more than half, with 11 incidents recorded by police versus the 25 incidents that occurred last year. Grand larceny down considerably, with 27 reported in the past 28 days versus 47 during this time in 2014.
Robbery was the only criminal activity that saw a slight uptick, but according to Travaglia, arrests have been made to deal accordingly with these instances.
Travaglia said that traffic issues have also been decreasing. There has been a 3 percent decrease in accidents and reported traffic injuries are down 8 percent. Additionally, there has not been a fatal car accident in the 108th Precinct for the past eight months.
In sharp contrast to decreases across the board, bike summonses have gone up sharply in 2015, Travaglia said. Over the last 28 days, 352 tickets were issued to bike riders versus only 3 percent during this time last year. Bike summonses were caused by a variety of infractions ranging from personal safety issues such as not wearing a helmet, to traffic violations incurred by riding through a red light.
The increase in traffic safety enforcement among bikers is largely spurred by the Vision Zero initiative undertaken by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office and other city agencies to reduce death and serious injuries on city streets.
In recognition of their crime-fighting efforts, the 108th Precinct Anti-Crime Team was honored with the “Cop of the Month” award for their collective efforts in preventing crime and interrupting incidents in progress. The Ridgewood Times donated the plaque presented to the team.
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