Barclays Police Detail Still Up in the Air

The city is still bouncing around who will be in charge of policing the Barclays Center .

Although it was initially reported that the , the decision on which precinct will keep order around the arena has yet to be confirmed, officials said.

"No decisions have been made," Craig Hammerman, the district manager of Community Board 6 said on Wednesday night. "The police are unable to identify who leaked the information from the police to the press, but it's not true."

The arena is technically in the 88th Precinct's borders, but a half-mile away from the station house in Clinton Hill. The 78th Precinct on Sixth Avenue in Park Slope is a stone's throw away from the arena.

Since police precincts must coincide with community board boundaries, a variance will have to be voted on by the City Council before 78th Precinct can take over policing. 

At the same time, it is unlikely that the 88th Precinct will take the lead at Barclays Center since its 19th century-era stationhouse on Classon Avenue is too small to take in the extra officers needed, according to CB2 district manager Robert Perris.

Another issue is just how many extra officers will be assigned to the area.

The "personnel allocation plan" will depend on census data, crime distribution, call volume, size of precinct, geography and special conditions that say how police police their areas, Hammerman said. The analysis of all the data will be done by the NYPD's Office of Management and Planning.

Hammerman said CB6, CB2, the police commissioner, the Borough President's office, the Mayor's office and City Council will all be involved in the discussion, but ultimately it is up to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to give the recommendation to the Mayor. Mayor Bloomberg will make the final decision with consulting the City Council.

"It will not be an arbitrary process, a serious decision needs to be made," Hammerman stated, explaining that police radios need to be reprogramed and jurisdictions need to be changed. "Whoever has the pleasure to police the area should have a lot of goodies to go along with it."

Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Fort Greene, for not consulting with the community on who will keep order at Barclays Center.

“There is no reason to cherry-pick from one precinct over another, and no reason to take vital resources from any precinct,” James said.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Paul Leonard contributed reporting.