Joy Rich went to the last night's meeting of the 66th Precinct Community Council, and we are most grateful for her taking and sharing the notes (at 12:45am!). Here is what happened:
About twenty Kensington and Borough Park residents attended last night's meeting of the 66th Precinct Community Council. It was Deputy Inspector John Sprague's second meeting with the community. Inspector Sprague replaced Deputy Inspector Peter De Blasio as precinct commander in early January.
Inspector Sprague presented the Cop of the Month award (a plaque) to a policewoman who, along with her partner, caught and arrested a seventeen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old who had just robbed someone in the subway station, fled into the street, and hidden alongside a parked car. After the arrest, the police were able to tie the two in to a number of robberies throughout the transit system.
Inspector Sprague reported that burglaries on 14th and 8th avenues have decreased recently. He said that burglary and grand larceny are the precinct's most frequently committed crimes, and a great deal of identity theft is being committed. Identity theft accounts for about 45% of the grand larcenies (crimes involving amounts of $1,000 or more).
He also announced that the graffiti clean-up program will resume in April.
If you would like to receive weekly e-mail updates from the precinct with information about criminal activity, community meetings, community events, crime prevention tips, and traffic concerns, you can sign up by e-mail, by mail, or in person. E-mail your name, address, and e-mail address to 66PctNYPD@gmail.com or go to the precinct to provide the information or mail the information to the precinct. Its address is 66th Precinct, 5822 16th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11204.
A Q&A session followed.
Q. Bus drivers caught crossing the yellow line aren't being ticketed. They are allowed to get away with it.
A: Inspector Sprague will address this issue.
Q: The phone at the precinct is being answered more frequently and more promptly than before, but there's room for improvement.
A: Inspector Sprague explained that only one person is available to answer eight phone lines. He asked that callers try to express themselves as succinctly as possible. [At last month's meeting, Inspector Sprague asked people to report non-911 crimes to 311, not to the precinct. 311 prioritizes the calls, passing them through to the precinct in order of priority.]
Q: Turner Place is not adequately patrolled.
A: Inspector Sprague will make sure the street is patrolled, starting tonight.
The 66th Precinct Community Council meets at 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month at 5910 13th Avenue, near 59th Street. Take the B16 bus to 13th Avenue and 56th Street and walk three blocks. All residents of the community are welcome to attend the meetings. For further details, meeting times, or other information, call (718) 851-5601 (Community Affairs).
The precinct's website is at http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/precincts/precinct_066.shtml.
Thank you, Joy!