A downward spiral is one thing, but crime on the streets of Flatbush is down in six of the seven major felony crime categories and off nearly 24 percent for the year. Of these crime categories – murder, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft – robbery is down a staggering 42 percent for the year. So far in 2009, there have been 102 reported robberies in the 70th Precinct, as compared to 175 at this time last year.”This is the most impressive, because it means there were 73 less of these crimes than there were last year,” said Dep. Inspector Ralph Monteforte, commanding officer of the 70th Precinct.
Monteforte credited a total team effort from cops in the precinct for bringing the number of robberies down, giving special praise to the narcotics unit – and to youth officers, as many robberies are from youth-on-youth thefts of small electronics like iPods.
There are several youth programs in the precinct, including the one program where youth officers take kids to correctional facilities, and another where they make home visits.
This all plays into keeping youth crime down, said Monteforte.
Monteforte did say there are still pockets of gang members in the precinct, but the NYPD gang unit stays on top of the situation, and it isn’t as organized as in some areas of the country, he said. A gang could be five guys on a block who call themselves the Foster Avenue gang, Monteforte said as an example.
“Sometimes they are a Blood one week and the next week they are a Crip. Some kids could change week-to-week, but we always take gang violence very seriously,” he added.
Felony assault is down about 28 percent with 82 reported incidents thus far this year as compared to 114 at this time in 2008.
Burglary is down a little more than 16 percent with 109 reported incidents so far in 2009 as compared to 130 at this time last year.
Grand larceny is down 18 percent with 200 reported incidents so far this year as compared to 244 at this time last year.
There have been two murders for the year in the 70th Precinct jurisdiction as compared to three at this time last year.
The only crime that is up in the precinct is auto theft with 59 reported incidents so far this year as compared to 53 at this time last year.
Monteforte said gun arrest incidents are even for the year as compared to last year with 14, but often several arrests are made in one incident where a gun is taken off the streets.
Shootings are down 28 percent with five reported incidents so far this year compared to seven at this time last year.
{YourNabe/Elisha Ferber-Matzav.com Newscenter}
