As is an annual tradition, the 52^nd Precinct once again hosted an open day over the summer on the stationhouse grounds, located at 3016 Webster Avenue in Norwood, to welcome residents and foster good police-community relations.

 

The precinct serves some or all of Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Bronx Park, and University Heights.

About 50 to 60 people, including kids, attended the event and were treated to a barbecue, some fun games, and kids also had the opportunity to play with one of the precinct’s [K9] dogs.

 

Meesh, the precinct’s cat [2009-2023] is recently deceased, as indicated by an erected headstone on the grounds of the stationhouse.

Some kids were seen playing inside a squad car on the day, happily giving instructions over the vehicle’s communications system, and flashing and sounding a low level siren.

 

We spoke to one Osmarie Farrere who was attending the annual event for the first time with her daughter. We asked how the day was going. “It’s a good event because it’s a distraction for the kids,” she said in Spanish.

Asked if she felt relations between the police and the community were good, she responded, “Yes, I feel everything is good.”

 

We also spoke to “Bettina” who on the day itself had only been living in the area for two months. She was also accompanied by some children and similarly, it was also her first time to attend the precinct’s annual open day.

When asked if she felt such events were a good idea, she replied in Spanish, saying, “Yes, it’s very nice, especially for the kids.” Asked if she had thoughts on what other services could be offered in the community for kids, she said similar events to the open day.

 

Over the course of the day, there was also tabling by the precinct’s community affairs team, led by Community Affairs Officer Stephen Echevarria. Families and other residents were able to obtain information on matters ranging from domestic violence to vehicle security.

As previously reported, officers from the 52nd Precinct encouraged residents during a recent Bedford Mosholu Community Association meeting to continue to log calls with 311 if experiencing quality-of-life issues.

 

They said since earlier this year any unanswered calls over an hour are flagged to a police chief who is only monitoring 311 calls.

Officer Boland from the 52 said that anything that is flagged as “outside” in a logged complaint, like barbecues or noise, gets highlighted and “body cameras go on right away” so residents can see what the officers are doing to address the situation. He said the cameras get turned off after enforcement.

 

Boland also explained during the same meeting that he and his partner, Officer Arias, have an app on their phones where they can read off all 311 jobs. “Usually, we can call if you guys leave a number to ask what the problem is,” he said.

“Right now, we get a notification on our phone. There’s a police vehicle that is only assigned to 311s. They don’t do 911s, and within an hour, it’s supposed to be answered.” He also clarified for the avoidance of doubt, “My rule of thumb is if you need 911, you always call 911.”

 

Boland said both he and Arias work every day except Sunday and Monday and handle mostly 311 problems. They encouraged residents to both call 311 and to text them if needed, and said they would be there within 15 minutes. Boland’s number is (929) 287 7212 and Arias’s is (917) 374 0459.

Each precinct is divided into sectors and different officers are assigned to different sectors. Residents can check which sector they live in by visiting https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/52nd-precinct.page and entering their address.

 

In the meantime, the latest, monthly 52^nd Precinct Community Council meeting was held on Sept. 28 at 100 West Kingsbridge Road in Fordham Manor, and was well attended. [The venue is different for each meeting.] A further story will follow on that meeting.

According to the NYPD, New York City saw overall crime decline once again in August, which they said was led by continued sharp reductions in violence, and what they described as the tangible effects of proactive policing, including hundreds of individuals in possession of illegal firearms arrested, and dozens of fewer shootings committed.

On Sept. 6, the department released overall crime statistics for the month of August. NYPD officials said New York City saw a 23.5% drop in shooting incidents compared to August 2022 (88 v. 115). They said the decrease in shootings extends the 26.1% decrease in shooting incidents citywide through the first eight months of 2023, compared to the same period a year ago (684 v. 926), meaning 315 fewer people have been shot this year compared to last year.

 

Additionally, they said homicides fell by 10% (269 v. 298) in comparison to the previous year’s first eight months.

As the summer ended, NYPD officials said the city was poised to sustain its momentum in driving crime down. They said August’s shooting declines reflected the continuing effectiveness of the NYPD’s gun-violence reduction strategies, which they said help allow every New York City neighborhood to thrive.

 

They said the NYPD is focused on combating gun violence and working with its law enforcement and community partners to carry out that work.

 

In August, they said the NYPD continued to make historic numbers of gun arrests: 342 arrests were effected, and overall, NYPD officers seized 4,611 guns, and made 2,916 gun arrests through the first eight months of 2023.

According to the department, overall index crime was also driven down by 1.5% in August (11,400 v. 11,574) compared to the same period a year ago. A reduction in five of the seven major index crime categories in August was also seen, including a 3.2% decline in murder, a 23.4% drop in rape (111 v. 145), a 6% reduction in robbery (1,560 v. 1,659), a 15.1% decline in burglary (1,185 v. 1,395), and a 2.8% drop in grand larceny (4,620 v. 4,751).

 

Officials said hate crimes citywide also declined 18% (42 v. 51) compared to last year. At the same time, they said grand larceny auto increased by 24.3% (1,497 v. 1,204), driven by what they said was the well-documented exploitation of vulnerabilities in the ignition systems of certain Kia and Hyundai models that make them vulnerable to theft.

 

Police also urge drivers never to leave keys in the ignition even if it’s just to briefly enter a store as they said this is when vehicles are often stolen.

Throughout the subway system during August, police said major crime decreased 6.6% (170 v. 182), which they said was a reflection of the department’s ongoing work to improve overall public-safety in the transit system.

 

Through the first eight months of 2023, police said the City has seen reductions in five of the seven index crime categories, including murder down 9.7% (269 v. 298), rape down 12.8% (963 v. 1104), robbery down 5.9% (10,904 v. 11,592), burglary down 10.8% (9,273 v. 10,393), and grand larceny down 2.3% (33,265 v. 34,058).

They said that since the launch of the NYPD’s summer violence reduction plan in May 2023, major crime in specific deployment zones of the city, including in specific areas of The Bronx, has been driven down by 8.5% compared to last year, and shootings have also declined by more than 23.5%, mirroring what they said was the continuing decline in shootings citywide.

 

In August, police officials said officers made 4,796 arrests in the seven major crime categories, a 19.4% increase compared to the same period last year. In the first eight months of 2023, they said officers made 35,429 such arrests which they said was the most for any 8-month period since 1999.

“The men and women of the NYPD work tirelessly each day and night to advance public safety and quality of life in New York City,” said Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban in the context of the latest crime trends. “As this summer ends, with our city having made considerable progress in reducing crime and violence, New Yorkers can count on the NYPD’s ongoing vigilance in every neighborhood. We will continue to use our momentum to ensure that New York remains the safest big city in America.”

 

Listed further below are the year-to-date crimes recorded in the 52nd Precinct as of Sept. 24, as well as those crimes recorded in the 28-day period leading up to Sept. 24, as compared to crimes recorded during the same timeframes in 2022.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the council, on which there are currently some open positions, can contact the council president, Brenda Caldwell Paris. Call (718) 220-5824 for more information.

 

For more information on the 52nd Precinct’s community affairs team, visit https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/52nd-precinct.page or call (718) 220-5824.