Fort Greene Citizens Push Police on Safety

Home Brooklyn Life Fort Greene Citizens Push Police on Safety
Inspector Anthony Tasso addresses residents at the recent 88th precinct council meeting (Sanya Khetani/ The Brooklyn Ink)
Inspector Anthony Tasso addresses residents at the recent 88th precinct council meeting (Sanya Khetani/ The Brooklyn Ink)

By Sanya Khetani

Fort Greene residents are about to see a larger police presence than usual on their neighborhood’s streets. At its last community meeting, the 88th police precinct announced an increase in foot patrols and overtime officers on duty in the neighborhood’s “problem areas.”

This police action is partly in response to pressure from a recently formed citizens’ block association, which was organized after a female resident was attacked and robbed last month while walking home from work.

The incident inspired residents of Adelphi Street, where the victim lived, to become more involved in their own safety. “I feel the police are doing the best that they can, but I also feel that they are overwhelmed,” says Sharon Ng, who lives on Adelphi Street.

At this month’s 88th precinct community meeting, Inspector Anthony Tasso said crime had risen sharply by 70 percent in recent months. He also reminded the residents that he did not have the manpower the precinct used to have, a common consequence of budget cuts in the NYPD.

Residents feel that an association would help the police keep more eyes on the street. “I think a block association would be a success!” says Ng, who plans to go door to door to sign more people up to be a part of the association.

So far the group has had an impact. The residents put together a list of demands such as increased police presence, and sent it to Councilwoman Letitia James, who forwarded it to Inspector Tasso, who incorporated the newly-formed association’s needs into his new safety and security measures for the area.

Some residents had also advocated the idea of a neighborhood patrol, but according to the 88th precinct, these are no longer sanctioned by the police.

As part of the New York Police Department’s ‘Civilian Observation Patrol’ program, neighborhood patrols were trained by the precinct and patrollers could anonymously report a crime on 911. However, the new 911 system accesses the personal information of callers, so maintaining anonymity is impossible. Until a new system is developed, neighborhood associations will not receive official assistance from their precincts.

Alfred Chiodo, Urban Affairs Director for the 35th district (which includes Fort Greene) in the City Council says Adelphi Street, particularly the block between Greene Avenue. and Fulton Street. is a magnet for crime. “Not only is this block at the edge of the neighborhood, but it is bordered by Fulton Street, which doesn’t have too many retail stores. This makes the area lonely, so it’s easier for someone to escape without being spotted,” he says.

Inspector Tasso also identified Adelphi Street as being part of a “problem area” from Fulton Street to Fort Greene Park, and Fort Greene Place to Vanderbilt Avenue, where a number of assaults and robberies, almost all involving an African-American male perpetrator and a Caucasian female victim.

But it is not only its location that makes Adelphi an easy target. More than 20 residents who attended an impromptu and informal block meeting testified about issues such as insufficient street and stoop lighting, and broken motion detectors, all of which made it difficult for even the most alert to spot someone hiding in the shadows.

Despite the precinct’s official stance on civilian patrols, Inspector Tasso believes that a good police-community relation is important. “You are our eyes and ears,” he told residents at the recent precinct meeting. So the residents of Adelphi have decided to form an unofficial alliance and watch for the time being.

Chiodo says that forming even an informal union is a step in the right direction to improving neighborhood safety. He explains that since it would help people get to know their neighbors, it would be easier to “spot someone who doesn’t belong.” John Wise, another Adelphi resident says, “Our block isn’t the most sociable, but I hope this will help… We can take not only small tangible steps, but also larger community steps.”

Meanwhile, those at the neighborhood meeting have already begun to pay better attention to the upkeep of the neighborhood and have exhorted landlords to improve the lighting on stoops.

No new incidents have been reported in the neighborhood since the incident in late September. Lawrence Young, a resident of 405 Adelphi St., succinctly sums up the block’s new motto, “We want people to know that this is our block and we’re keeping an eye on it.”

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