66th Precinct Meeting Update

In the last 28–day period, the 66th precinct knocked down its burglary and robbery stats by 28% and 60%, respectively, said Capt Anthony M. Carter, its new Executive Officer, at the Thurs., June 17 Community Council meeting.

Clearly pleased, despite a 2010 overall increase in these categories, Capt. Carter said the burglars’ focus was on 8th and 9th avenues, at the western boundary of the 66th.  One way to avoid becoming a crime statistic, he suggested, was to arrange for a crime prevention survey with PO James Vaughan at (718) 851-5620.

As to community complaints about blocked traffic lanes due to double parking, he said the 66th and NYC Dept. of Transportation were working on clearing bike lanes on Caton and Ocean Parkway and ridding Coney Island Avenue of double parked cars.

The June-cop-of-the-month award went to PO Vincent Bono of the Anti-crime unit, which cruises the precinct in unmarked cars looking for trouble.  On May 5, PO Bono found some: he stopped and questioned 3 young men.  With no reason to hold them, he and his partner wished them a good day.  In no time, they scooted around the corner to break into a car and steal a computer monitor.  This time, in searching them, PO Bono discovered credit cards belonging to others. A check of precinct records located the cards’ true owners and resulted in the arrest of these 3 for robbery.

But for many in the audience of 40 the meeting’s highpoint was the awards to 8 members of the Shomrim Patrol, with top honors going to Ari Weiss and Moshe Reichberg. Each awardee lined up for a picture of himself shaking hands with CB 12 District Manager Wolf Sender, Lt. James Selleck, head of special operations and in daily contact with the Shomrim, and Capt. Carter.

The Shomrim Patrol—shomrim means guard—is a volunteer auxiliary police patrol of Orthodox Jews, started in Boro Park 18 years ago by bakery delivery drivers to prevent vandalism in the neighborhood. (http://www.bpshomrim.net/about//)  The idea came from similar patrols in Williamsburg.  Today these patrols also exist in Crown Heights, Midwood, and other Orthodox Jewish communities in the US and in London.

Now nearly 100 professionally trained volunteers strong, the Boro Park Shomrim have their own patrol cars and work closely with the 66th.  In an emergency, said Lt Selleck, they are often seen in Kensington, Boro Park and Midwood—anywhere in the 66th—speeding to an event in unmarked cars with sirens wailing.

The next 66th Community Council meeting is on Thursday Sept. 16 at 7:30pm.  Meanwhile call 311 to report a problem, or email the precinct at  66pctnypd@gmail.com or for a complete list of phone numbers, visit its website at NYC.gov.