Deputy Inspector Khandakar Abdullah is moving to the 81st Precinct, and Captain Jared Badillo will serve as the new commanding officer of the 69th Precinct. Community Council President Gardy Brazela made the announcement at the April 25th meeting, where he thanked Abdullah for his service and told attendees, “He loved this community and will be missed.”
Deputy Inspector Abdullah said that it was an honor and a privilege to serve this community. “My mission here when I started was to reduce gun violence and improve quality of life. I hope I succeeded in that mission.”
He gave his last crime update, stating that four out of the seven major crime categories have decreased year to date. “Other than GLA and a small spike in robberies, we are headed in the right direction.” Although there was a fatal shooting on Avenue L and East 95th Street in broad daylight on April 17th, he said that shootings are down 30% for the year.
There have been a few incidents of “wolf pack” robberies, specifically in the areas of Foster Avenue, between East 94th to East 96th Streets, and on Foster Avenue in the East 80’s. Wolf packs are groups of youths that look for an individual walking alone, usually at night on a dark street.
Quality of life issues are a main concern, and the precinct’s most recent tow operation, with DSNY, removed 25 abandoned vehicles along Seaview Avenue, from East 103th to East 108th Streets.
Event spaces selling alcohol without a permit, like the one at 1663 Ralph Avenue, are a problem. Recently, the location had a party where they charged admission at the door and sold illegal alcohol. The Department of Buildings did an inspection, and four summonses were issued to the establishment, which also has an issue with illegal parking there.
Before taking residents’ complaints, Abdullah thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve as commanding officer. “I hope the community prospers even more and becomes more vibrant in the future.”
One attendee wanted to know why the shelves at the Walgreens on Rockaway Parkway and Avenue M are empty and why many of the products are locked up. Abdullah said that petit larceny is a citywide problem and that they would look into the issue further. The store had a “paid detail” in the past where an NYPD officer is hired to guard the store.
A food pantry, open seven days per week, on East 95th Street, between Flatlands Avenue and Avenue J, is causing a lawless situation, according to another resident. With a large influx of people visiting the pantry, there is no parking on the block and Sanitation is unable to clean the streets. “People are blocking the homes and fences; they are crossing in the middle of the street and parking illegally,” she said. Abdullah said his Sector B NCOs would look into the situation.
The city lost 99 people last year to fires, a representative from the FDNY Fire Safety Education Unit, told attendees. To decrease that number, “We have to know what to do when that alarm rings,” he said.
Don’t ignore smoke alarms as a fire doubles in size every 30 seconds, and if there is a fire in your home, always close the door to stop the spread of fire and smoke. Although we can’t prevent every fire, smoking in bed, one of the leading cause of fire fatalities, is a fire that is preventable.
Every house should have one combination alarm on each level of your home and one smoke alarm in each bedroom. “When you go to sleep, your nose goes to sleep. You will not smell smoke when you are sleeping,” the FDNY rep said.
Lithium batteries, especially in e-bikes, are a big problem, and more people are buying them since the price has declined. Because our city has bumpy streets, the fire safety rep warned e-bike owners that the batteries lean on the metal frame, causing damage and blow up. He advised not to use inferior or generic batteries, and not to overcharge batteries, as all can cause fires.
The next meeting of the 69th Precinct Community Council will be held on Tuesday, May 30th at the Hebrew Educational Society, 9502 Seaview Avenue.