After the meeting was postponed then relocated, members of the community sat down with the Commanding Officer of the 71st Precinct Ins. Frank Vega, Cap. Daniel Sosnowik and Lt. John Cantwell who heard out the communities complaints.

Attendance wasn’t that great, partly due to the schedule changing on everyone at the last minute, around 20 people who were each individually affected by Officers Kennedy and Mintz showed up to voice their complaints. During the meeting Mr. Goldstein of the Community Board 9 came in and told of observations he had of Officers using selective enforcement in Crown Heights and how it’s illegal, and applied it to the allegations that these 2 officers were also selectively enforcing the laws on only Jews, and mentioned that the Department has disciplinary ‘mechanisms’ for officers abusing their authority in such a manner.

Thursday’s Meeting Regarding The Tickets

After the meeting was postponed then relocated, members of the community sat down with the Commanding Officer of the 71st Precinct Ins. Frank Vega, Cap. Daniel Sosnowik and Lt. John Cantwell who heard out the communities complaints.

Attendance wasn’t that great, partly due to the schedule changing on everyone at the last minute, around 20 people who were each individually affected by Officers Kennedy and Mintz showed up to voice their complaints. During the meeting Mr. Goldstein of the Community Board 9 came in and told of observations he had of Officers using selective enforcement in Crown Heights and how it’s illegal, and applied it to the allegations that these 2 officers were also selectively enforcing the laws on only Jews, and mentioned that the Department has disciplinary ‘mechanisms’ for officers abusing their authority in such a manner.

One of the more serious allegations against these 2 Police Officers is when they harassed a Jewish female driver on Empire Blvd. and after writing her a summons they called her out of her car to come and collect her license and ticket. “This is against Department Policy, it’s an endangerment to the driver” said Ins. Vega “and the matter will be looked into”. If an officers calls you out of your car to collect your license and ticket, NEVER get out of you vehicle, such a thing is grounds for an officer to shoot at you!

Other complaints included people getting ticketed while sitting in their running car while in “park” and being double parked, general selectiveness when pulling drivers over, excessive abuse of authority while arresting Jewish driver for driving with a suspended license, and drivers receiving tickets for speaking on their cell phone and/or driving without a seatbelt when they weren’t on their phone and/or were wearing their seatbelt.

A point that was brought up by Lt. Cantwell was that the Precinct put out more officers to write summonses in more “Accident Prone Locations”, so I challenged that saying if you want a report about APL’s read this website. We all know which are those problem locations [Empire and Troy, Eastern Parkway and Albany, etc.] but the Police base their APL’s by a computer system that tells them were to be, but we all know that Montgomery and Kingston isn’t an APL. The complaint was met with a note taken by the CO.

The meeting lasted for nearly an hour, and after the meeting most people left with the feeling that their words have fallen on listening ears that will do nothing about the situation, but as one said “we need to hope and try”, until then I recommend that those who still don’t wear their seatbelts to wear them and to make sure you put them on before putting your car into gear, when double parked to make sure you wear your seatbelt, when moving your car in an alleyway with your door open to wear your seatbelt, not to talk on your cell phone and to keep detailed call logs so you can fight the unjust-fully written tickets, and make sure to avoid doing anything that may give an impractical Officer a reason ticket you.

23 Comments

  • licht

    Why are you letting the entire world know our tsuris? ALl they see is that CH is a tough neighborhood to live in, and the Jews fight among themselves.

  • shmuly

    to "licht": why should we hide from the truth?! CH is a crappy neighborhood and if you live here and you cant deal with it, move out. i know i will soon.
    are you going to deny all the crime that has gone up? or the rise in corrupt law enforcement here? fact is fact!

  • chanina

    2 bad cops does not make NYPD corrupt! CH may be run down because there’s so much garbage in the street . and old JCCs did nothing to improve streets.

  • rebainu av bais din

    Crown heights is great close to MYC and Close to BP Flat etc… The neighborhood is nice and if you find a nice shul to daven in and meet friends ( not 770 ) you will find your niche

  • disagree

    Crown Heights has a special beauti. It is however covered with the most filthiest covering.
    I reicently heard an example for this: ‘the most precious diamonds are found in the most filthiest mud.’

  • An upset girl

    guys, what are you talking about, kan tzivah hashem es habracha. I really don’t get why any of you would want to move out- unless it’s for Shlichus of course, there’s Bracha in that too! who care about the dirt on the street. The Ruchnius dirt is disgusting-tznius. If the women can’ t think for themselves how to dress than why don’t their husbands tell them it’s inacceptable! Tears are dripping down my face as I say this, because it hurts me so much. If here we have so much kedusha then why don’t people recognize and appreciate it? It make me so upset. It’s Golus- t he thickness of Golus for sure! If you are reading this, it’s hashgacha protis and please take on a hacklata of tznius. Thank you. May we merit to (or even if we don’t merit it) greet moshiach now.

  • i agree

    att an upset girl: I hear what you have to say and agree with you 100 percent, boruch hashem it’s not all the girls there are some that still know who they are and how to dress i walk down thestreet and exuse me for my language bt these girls look like the lady behind the cash register by walmart! – (i’m quoting my teachers words) i think that tzneus is something our shechuna needs most, and so as you wrote in your comment that everyone who reads it should take a hachlata and i am too even though i think i’m not as despoate as others i encourage others to please take a hachlata and if it won’t be a big one at least a small one…………….hopefully we;ll bring the hisgalus of the rebbe mh"m imediately!

  • sem girl

    att. "disagree"

    i like your mashal and agree with your statement.

    to an upset girl- i agree with you too- were you at the high-school chof bais shvat convention this year? cuz there was a lot of focus on tznius (i know a lot of people didn’t like it, but it still happened) and there was a pan of girls who took on hachlatos in tznius, which lots of girls (relatively) signed. don’t be so upset- we’re in a very bad sit. but i think people are aware and many people are actually working on it.

  • please put my mind at ease

    upset girl,i feel for you! G-D bless you.
    lets not forget as to where we are going with our comments.
    i think it works both ways.
    the cops need us,and we need them!
    they are here and being paid to protect us.
    lets not forget about that.
    its so sad, just a small matter has to build up like this when there are so many bigger matters to be dealt with.
    this indeed is something that should of stopped the first week! how sad it went on for so long and the officials look the other way.why do i say this?i have seen it with my very own eyes!!! 2 black men were stopped on one week apart from the same 2 black woman officers #1474 and were told to go with out given a ticket,they were not wearing seat belts.how ever over the last 4 month as i was going to shul or work or home i must of seen at least 11 jewish cars given a ticket for no seat belts.3 were wearing belts! each and every jewish driver got a ticket.mabe i am crazy but some one please tell me,HOW CAN ANY OFFICIAL SAY THAT THIS IS NOT A TARGET!!!! I AM A VERY OPEN MINDED PERSON.and i am willing to hear what excuse some one can give me to put my mind at ease. thank you.

  • Meir Ben Ari

    The Best thing to correct thos matter with officer kenedy is that every memeber of the shchuna should write a complaint of abuse of power(call 311 for info how to). If there is a significant of complaints she will never get a promotion, and internal affairs will do a investigation into the higher ups at 71st. Then cops will act proffesionally.

  • concerned

    How this became a tznius forum I don’t know. Let’s stick to the facts of police abusiveness in ticketing. We must remember to do our part; weat seatbelts, don’t talk on your cell phone while driving-use a headset and you can buy it on Kingston Ave!!! (Most importantly seat belt your children too!) We must do our part here b’gashmium ub’ruchnius!
    I was also behind several police officers, on occassion double parked side by side just chatting and holding up traffic, now that’s abusiveness on the part of a police officer.

  • bochur looking out

    yes i agree this place has lots of dirt but so does every community you will never be able to get away so just stay put in ch where its a beautiful place & location find your shul & friends and just do what u need to do and everything else will be just fine
    there is alot more dirt in BP flabush or willi
    CH is a bracha and only good will come out of it
    and to all you girls about tznius most girls do dress tznius and dressing tznius does not mean you cant dress nice and look good as long as u u wear what u have to for halocho

  • optimistic but tired in CH

    firstly, this meeting should have been attended by many many others..a mere 20 folks from the CH says volumnes…and who was there the left or the right…left center or semi meschist? it is all getting very ridisculous.

    secondly, yup CH is where the brocho is by and large ..if your heart and soul started here or is here per se…..but upset girl..there are many many anash in other areas including flatbush and boro park and five towns including out of state that do more for chabad then you’ll ever know.

    thridly the znius issue is major bad…me thinks it is because upper mgmnt as in our peers are stuck with more critical issues to fight over and the yungerlites simply take that as a cue …..whatever is right :(

  • You can take Action!!

    I would like to advise you that the best way to let these officers know that their behavious is unacceptable is to write a letter of complaint to Heaquarters. Whenever a letter of complaint or for that matter a letter of praise it remians int heir file forever. If they are at a later date investigated these letters will be included. so you do have the power to make a difference.
    write to Police Commissioner Kelly, One Police Plaza, 14th Fl. New York, NY 10038

  • Skver

    Why do we get sidetracked? the story is not about tznius it’s about unjust parking tickets and illegal action by law enforcement.

    In skver (kiryat yoel, NY) and other places (like Iran), it is considered immodest for woman to drive cars and so those woman from skver do not drive cars. Maybe we should start this practice in Crown heights and that would stop the illegal tickets. Maybe hashem is sending us a message?

  • s-besser azui

    att.:shmutzik. i disagree with you since there are so many people that read this this is the way to discuss it as not to embarass anbody ch"v.

  • Ariyeh Leib Segall

    There is a formal Process of filing a complaint against improper behavior by Police Officers …
    Which does not involve direct contact with the Precint…
    It is Called:The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board
    I suggest we avail ourselves of this outlet…

    The link is:http://www.nyc.gov/html/ccrb/

    More Details:
    The New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) is an independent and non-police mayoral agency. It is empowered to receive, investigate, hear, make findings and recommend action on complaints against New York City police officers which allege the use of excessive or unnecessary force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or the use of offensive language. Investigations are conducted in an impartial fashion by the board’s investigative staff, which is composed entirely of civilian employees. Complaints may be made by any person whether or not that person is a victim of, or witness to, an incident. Dispositions by the board on complaints are forwarded to the police commissioner. As determined by the board, dispositions may be accompanied by recommendations regarding disciplinary measures

  • responce to skver

    So now you’re saying women shouldn’t drive any more in crown heights any more beause they are getting tickets? This whole article is all about the Police officer’s fault. If you have a problem with female driving maybe you should move to " Yolie Town" You shure sound like one the way you talk in such a discrimitly (sp) fashion…

  • CH grass IS green!

    Re. the side issue that is being discussed over here about moving out of CH, I think it’s becoming the new trend in CH to be very Jewish and always think that the ‘grass is greener on the other side’. It is so ridiculous the way so many of these ‘fed up’ CH’ers exaggerate how bad CH is. CH is NOT so bad, and the grass is NOT greener on the other side. If your problem with CH is:
    High real estate prices? In basicaly every frum community that gets popular the real estate prices just soar and are not so far off CH, unless you like a ‘dead’ community, your basically going to get the same high costs. Even in CH, the prices will not go higher then a certain point, and the more they build then the more demand will drop – actualy right now, prices stopped going higher and are now staying pretty steady.

    Politics? You’ll learn, there’s the same dirty and silly politics in every community, especially one of frum Jews ofcourse-i know it’s hard to imagine, but that’s the cold hard facts.

    Cleanliness? Very good reason to move out from the "kan Tziva…", ‘because it’s very dirty’, just keep clean and encourage others to do the same-thats the only soloution i can think of(or maybe transfer the Shvartze B’haimes to somewhere else!).
    Sorry, but any other problems are not on my mind now, but if you can think of some others-think, how much better will it be out of CH?
    With the blessing of Moshiach NOW!

  • Anonymous

    "Shvartze B’haimes" I know your not a racist and you are not referring to the good shvartzes. Just show some sensitivity. You know there are black jews too as well as rightous black people that might be reading this page and will be offended by your careless words.