Capt. Ameri: Overall Crime in Park Slope is Down, But Burglaries Are Still a Problem

Crime is down for the year in Park Slope almost across the board, but there is still an issue with crooks breaking in to apartments, the Commanding Officer of the 78th precinct, Captain Michael Ameri said.

“We are down in crime overall for the year and the last four weeks, however we do still have a significant burglary problem,” Capt. Ameri said during a Community Council meeting on Tuesday night.  

Generally, he said, apartments are being targeted during the day by crooks who break in through open or unlocked rear windows or windows on fire escapes.

But what’s different with the burglaries in Park Slope now, compared to a couple of years ago, is what crooks are stealing.

“The interesting thing that is happening here is that [burglars] used to steal jewelry and gold, but now they are really focusing on electronics,” Ameri said. “[Burglars] love these laptops, they love Apple laptops and iPads.”

Ameri explained that it is usually young men in their late teens to early 20s who are committing most of the crimes.

“Please get the word out, I would really appreciate it—if you see anybody on the fire escape, please call 9-1-1, especially if they are young males,” Ameri said.

Ameri said that Park Slope is being hit with burglaries in three different clusters throughout the neighborhood. He said that the problematic areas are on Dean and Pacific streets near Flatbush Avenue, Eighth Avenue near 13th Street and on Fifth Avenue near J.J. Bryne Park (Third and Fourth streets).

“Those are the three areas I am concern with because we are seeing most of the burglaries there,” he said, explaining that he has put more cops on the streets near the affected areas and the precinct is doing in-depth investigations in order to make more arrests. 

“We are working the best we can. We made three arrests, and I thought [burglaries] would slow down, but it’s still going,” Ameri said. “This is something I know a lot about and working hard to get a handle on it and we will, I can tell you that much.” 

Up to and including this week, the precinct is down almost 19 percent in robberies, compared with last year when the neighborhood saw an increase of almost 35 percent. Felony assaults are down 10 percent for the year, grand larceny stayed the same and grand theft larceny auto is down 60 percent, with only 13 vehicles/motorcycles stolen this year.

But, this year there have been 54 burglaries, compared to last year when there were only 30. And although 14 more crimes do not sound like a lot, Ameri is taking the increase very seriously.

“Fourteen more burglaries is too much for me. That means 14 people had their homes violated and their property taken,” Ameri said, explaining that he is doing everything he can to bring the numbers down, but most importantly he wants to make sure Park Slope is safe and its residents do not feel threatened.

Ameri said that there are a few simple ways to keep your house and belongings safe:

• Make sure all windows and doors are locked and secured.
• Install and lock secondary locks.
• Do not leave your electronics (laptops, iPods, etc.) near windows in plain view.
• Install only FDNY approved safety gates on fire escape or ground level windows.

In order to make sure your home is properly protected, the 78th precinct is offering a free Crime Prevention survey for neighborhood apartments and homes.

You can contact Crime Prevention Police Officer Vivian Santiago, and have the free survey done on your home, which consists of a walk-through and a list of security recommendations to help prevent your chances of being burglarized. Contact Officer Santiago at 718-636-6433 to schedule an appointment.

Ameri said that copying down the serial numbers of your electronics and keeping them in a safe place is a good idea, too. That way, if they get stolen and are recovered by the police you can identify them.

You can also sign up for the 78th precinct’s crime prevention newsletter to get the latest news and tips on crime in Park Slope. Click here to see April 2012’s edition and click here to subscribe.