1. Cop of the Month, Officer Peter Talavera.
2.The top brass: Lt. James Selleck and Dep. Inspector John Sprague.
3. A brass plaque to 39-year veteran Chief Tony Christo, NYPD Bklyn South Auxiliary.
The NYPD has its own version of June graduation. On May 11, the 66 Precinct celebrated Medals Day, and at its Thurs June 16 Community Council meeting the congratulations continued. It was a festive evening, filled with fond farewells and plaques for a job well done—oh, except for an irate complainer, and his echo, unhappy parishioners from the 66.
Deputy Inspector (DI) Sprague labeled crime for the year “flat," with the exception of robbery and grand larceny. Robberies, especially along McDonald Avenue to Avenue F, from 2-6 a.m. Friday to Sundays are up, he said. In the 28–day figures, robbery has jumped to 14 from 8 events, a 75 % increase over 28-day figures for the same period in 2010. “Be aware of your surroundings, including your reflection," he advised. “Most victims are approached from behind. In one case, they used a bat.”
“Invest in a good cross-cutting shredder” to prevent ID theft, a felony charged under Grand Larceny, D.I. Sprague urged. “Shred all those mail solicitations, and watch out for anyone soliciting you claiming to be mortgage or insurance. They don’t do that.” Cell phone thefts, like ID thefts, can have additional consequences, since people can access your phone line. They, too, are charged as Grand Larceny. The Grand Larceny total for this year shows a 2.9 % increase over last year's.
The "Cop of the Month" award went to Officer Peter Talavera for handling a May 3 call to 911 about a robbery: a Craiglist deal for 25 i-Phones gone sour. He arrested the two armed perps as they were stuck in traffic without anyone firing off a shot.
In May the award went to Officer Orazio Boccadifuoco, the arresting officer in an Anti-Crime unit action to stop a series of cell-phone robberies from Asians near 50 Street between 8 and 9 avenues. Once the police caught the 4 perps, found by canvassing the area near their last robbery at 53 Street and Ninth Avenue, robberies in that area went down, DI Sprague said. .
Chief of Brooklyn South Auxiliary Tony Christo, a 39-year veteran, who serves without pay, received the next award. Increasingly, Sprague had said at the May meeting, the 66 relies upon the auxiliary police to supplement tight staffing. Sprague’s mentor for 8 years, Joseph Fox, the chief commanding officer of Patrol Brooklyn South, also spoke, the two of them exchanging compliments. Sprague also hailed the Brooklyn D.A.'s Deputy Bureau Chief for the Grey Zone, Aaron Nottage, for his—and its—effective support of the 66 Precinct.
But the meeting’s focus was the story told by a tall furious man. He described how the precinct mishandled a vicious neighborhood dog’s bite to his equally tall son, which left a smear of dog saliva on the son's collar. His experience at the 66, the man said, “didn’t make sense.” It was as bad as anything he’d ever heard about it.
In the man's telling, he arrived at the 66 late on a Sunday afternoon, the offending dog in tow. At first there was a delay, which the officer attributed to the Puerto Rican Day parade (in Manhattan). Then the officer refused to file a report, saying: “What do you want me to do, arrest the dog?” And sent the dog home. The man also claimed no report had been filed with the Department of Health!
Not true, said DI Sprague, insisting there was indeed a dog-bite report on file, while granting the man's treatment was “unacceptable.” In fact Sprague knew of the dog, which had had two prior offenses, in 2008 and 2009. But this info isn't readily available, since police databases cover people, not animals. The 66 only learned of the dog's record later when it spoke with NYC Animal Control. Should it happen again, DI Sprague explained. the police can ”take an animal with a history.” In any case, dog bites are a civil, not criminal, offense. (A misdemeanor with a $1,000 maximum fine.) The dog should have been restrained on a 6-ft leash, Sprague added, although that is more than enough rope to jump someone.
And at the May meeting Kensington residents complained about these problems:
1. Women have started taking cell-phone photos of the Bangladeshi men heckling them at the Church/ McDonald corner. DI Sprague said he would send community liaisons there to look into it. “They can go where others can’t.“ He will also have Officer Shum, the beat cop at Church and McDonald, follow up.
2. The Day Laborers from Ft. Hamilton Parkway. A Minna Street woman found a day laborer asleep on her porch; another man stole stuff; a third took an air conditioner, found later on 38 Street, out of a homeowner’s window. DI Sprague said the 66 will check this out. The man "can’t sleep on your porch.” He told her to call the 66 and 911. "Make sure 911 knows it’s happening right now."
3. The car businesses are hogging street parking spots: they don’t do alternate side, leave cars for weeks, and double and triple park, forcing pedestrians to walk into the street. DI Sprague said, “If (they) leave a car 2 days, we can take it. After 24 hours, it's considered an abandoned car.” If cars are blocking a driveway, the 66 can tow. Furthermore, he suggested local block associations should take action and hold meetings with the offending business managers to resolve problems.
On Sunday July 10 the 66 Precinct will take part in a Unity Showcase at Bartel Pritchard Circle, sponsored by Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, from 11 to 5 p.m. It will include food, fun and games for kids and adults. And on Tuesday August 9, the 66 holds its annual National Night Out Against Crime fete in front of the precinct at 16 Avenue between 57 and 60 streets. This is a national event to encourage communication between the police and their communities.