Crime statistics for the NYPD’s 104th Precinct for the week of June 28 to July 2 reflect a borough-wide decrease in shooting incidents and major crime categories as the summer months begin.
On Thursday, July 6, NYPD Acting Commissioner Edward Caban said this year’s 4th of July weekend was the safest in New York City with 23 reported shootings compared to last year, when there were 43 shootings between July 1 and July 5.
According to Caban, major crimes in the city overall were down by 4% in June. He also said shootings have decreased (17%) citywide for the past 13 consecutive weeks and in 23 of 26 consecutive weeks this year. In 2023 so far, there were nearly 200 fewer New Yorkers who were shot so far when compared to the first 6 months of 2022.
The NYPD also said officers seized 3,424 guns from the city streets and made 2,162 gun arrests through the first six months of 2023.
“As we head into the summer months, we are confident that our work will continue to make a positive impact on the city and improve the lives of all the people we serve,” said Caban.
For the 104th Precinct, shooting incidents (71%) and misdemeanor assaults (18%) decreased when compared to the same time period last year. Crime stats revealed another major decrease in burglaries (67%) for the 104th Precinct, with 22 fewer cases this year.
Deputy Inspector Kevin Coleman, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, also shared crime stats on Twitter that showed a decrease in shoplifting incidents as of July 2, compared to the same time period last year, a difference of 98 shoplifting cases.
Shoplifting isn’t new to the Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood communities.
On Monday, June 26, a man stole $7,337 worth of merchandise from The Children’s Place on Myrtle Avenue, in Ridgewood. In another incident on Monday, June 19, two unknown burglars forced their way into A Classic Touch Hair Salon at 61-08 80th St. in Middle Village, and stole over $1,000.
Grand larcenies (3%) and car thefts (8%) increased for the month and remain an ongoing issue for the precinct, Coleman said in at the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement Development meeting in June. But the precinct’s struggles in these crime categories reflect similar problematic areas for the NYPD as a whole.
According to NYPD executives, grand larcenies made-up 40% of crime in New York City, and a majority were due to an increase in pick-pockets across the city, at levels that haven’t been seen in decades. The NYPD added enforcement for transit boroughs in Queens North and Manhattan North and South to combat the problem.
NYPD top brass also said grand larceny auto (GLA) incidents were up by 1,000 and 32% of arrests for GLAs were of persons under the age of 18. Similar data for gun and shooting-related incidents showed 12% of armed robbery arrests for the quarter were perpetrated by those under the age of 16 years.
On Monday, June 26, a 51-year-old woman had her car stolen by a trio of crooks at the intersection of Fresh Pond Road and 67th Avenue, in Ridgewood, and on Saturday, June 17, a thief stole a car from an elderly man who was visiting the All Faiths Cemetery, in Middle Village.
On top of handling steady crime increases this year, the 104th Precinct worked to address quality of life issues earlier in the year, including illegal parking and reckless motorbike drivers.
Coleman told QNS during the last 104th Precinct Community Council Meeting that the precinct confiscated over 162 illegal motorbikes, wrote 507 summonses, and made 24 arrests in motorbike-related incidents in June. He also noted the precinct wrote 11,000 parking summonses from 311 complaints last year.
Regarding quality-of-life-related issues across the city, NYPD Chief Michael M. Kemper said the NYPD has issued 10,000 more criminal court summonses than in the same quarter last year. Officers also issued 5,000 more oath summonses when compared to last year.
According to an NYC OpenData set, blocked driveways, noise complaints and abandoned vehicles remain the top complaint categories from June 1 to July 1 for the 104th Precinct.
