According to information released recently by the 69th Precinct, there’s been another uptick in the theft of catalytic converters in the Canarsie area. Sergeant Brian Maher, supervising Neighborhood Coordination Officer (NCO), sounded the alarm at a Build the Block meeting he hosted on March 30th, at Church at The Rock, located at 1288 East 92nd Street.
To underscore the gravity of the problem, Maher cautioned homeowners, “If you have a vehicle and you have a driveway, please park the vehicle in your driveway. Don’t leave it on the street. If you have cameras, make sure they’re pointed at the vehicle.” He recommended calling the precinct in addition to 911 if you hear grinding or drilling sounds late at night, as that could be an indication of a theft in progress. He also suggested other deterrents such as installing a catalytic converter cage or a Cat Sticker, obtained through the Auto Crime Division, which would imprint a serial number on the catalytic converter once it’s heated up.
Maher also gave a rundown on other crimes, mainly vehicle thefts, occurring along the East 80’s on Flatlands Avenue all the way to Foster Avenue. He warned that vehicles, particularly Japanese-made, should not be left in those areas, for even a brief period, without securing them properly. He also mentioned that several summonses as well as SLA violations were issued to a deli on East 80th Street and Flatlands Avenue, due to ongoing illicit activities there. Additionally, he stated that with the cooperation of many residents, he recently shut down a grilling operation on East 87th street and Flatlands Avenue.
Some guests expressed heightened concerns about other quality of life issues that usually increase once the weather turns warm. High on their distress list were dogs – “big ones” – unleashed, running around in Canarsie Park, and being terrorized by motorized scooters and e-bikes. Maher assured them that both issues would be addressed speedily. “This weekend the borough is running two ATV operations. We [69th Precinct] are participating. We’ll be going after scooters, e-bikes and ATV’s driving recklessly in the parks, on the sidewalks, in the streets, everywhere!” he informed residents.
Jennifer Viechweg-Horsford, represented State Senator Roxanne Persaud at the meeting and gave updates on some of the programs the senator is working on. They include getting more at-risk kids into the NYPD Explorer Program, working with Governor Kathy Hochul to fund programs related to gun violence and sponsoring legislation (S2981) to create The Firearm Research Institute where the underlying reasons for gun violence could be studied and appropriate programs implemented to address them.
In closing, Reverend Gesner Sagesse bestowed blessings upon Sergeant Maher and the entire NYPD. “May God bless you and thank you for a great job,” Sagesse said to Maher.