The June 28th meeting of the 63rd Precinct Community Council was full of meaningful moments — such as a hearty goodbye to outgoing Council Vice President Nick Miller, welcoming new Crime Prevention Officer Ryan Walsh and awarding Officer Evan Cruz the Cop of the Month Award for apprehending a car thief. Held at the John Malone Community Center at 2335 Bergen Avenue, this was the last Community Council meeting until the fall.
Deputy Inspector Rachael Kosak discussed crime stats for the past month, reporting that crime in the precinct has increased in the last few weeks.
Robberies of all kinds increased, specifically. There’s been a spike in juveniles targeting food delivery workers and stealing packages or small items from the worker. The precinct conducted outreach for some of the businesses that have been dealing with this issue to warn their staff to be on the lookout.
The strip of small businesses along Avenue T that had a façade collapse was also targeted recently. The front of all the damaged stores is closed off, but the backs are still open so staff can get in. Some thieves took advantage of that and entered the businesses from the back entrances to steal. Kosak said the precinct is still working to identify the criminals but that there’s strong surveillance footage to help them.
Theft of car tires and rims, specifically on Honda Accords and Dodge Chargers, has also been a common crime.
Kosak also warned that it would be a loud weekend due to the Fourth of July. Before, during and after the holiday, fireworks and firecrackers will be set off on a regular basis. While the precinct understands the disturbance this causes and will be trying to crack down on it, Kosak advised people prepare themselves for loudness and that starting on Friday, June 30th, she’ll have officers dedicated to target 311 complaints about fireworks and loud barbecues.
The meeting kicked off with a big thank you to Miller, who’s leaving his role because he’s moving out of state. Council President Greg Borruso and Kosak both sang his praises. Borruso also brought 50 cupcakes for attendees as part of the send-off for Miller.
“This is a small thank you; we’ll get to something better, but again, Nick, I couldn’t have done it without you,” Borruso said. “You really will be missed.”
Several elected officials and community members gave reports at the meeting as well, including Community Board 18 District Manager Sue Ann Partnow. She announced that she secured funding for several streets in Georgetown and Bergen Beach to be repaved. They’d already been milled at the time of her report, but the paving schedule had not yet been finalized.
Additionally, Partnow urged residents to reach out to the community board with any summer noise complaints they have, rather than call 911. People can call 311 first and then let the board know that they put through a service request. Furthermore, she suggested people try talking to their noisy neighbors about the problem if they haven’t already.
“Sometimes it helps to know your neighbors and to just say, ‘It would be great if we could work together,’” she said. “Sometimes that works better. So, again, you can call 311, but I think the best thing to do is go and knock on that door.”
