Posted to Crown Heights News on

After Visit, Police Increase Visibility, Patrols

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — After the surprise visit by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, there was a noticeable increase in police patrols and vehicles, some say it was due to Kelly’s unhappiness with the fact that there was no police posted in front of 770 and that the patrols weren’t very visible.

Two of the NYPD’s ‘skywatch’ towers were deployed in Crown Heights, one on Eastern Parkway and Brooklyn Avenue while the other on Schenectady Avenue and Carroll Street, along with three NYPD Mobile Command Posts.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Residents expressed thanks for the extra patrols, but others said “for the time being the patrols are very good, but then they leave and crime just goes right back to the way it was before”.

Another resident said “we don’t need the extra patrols as much as we need arrests!” he said. Most residents have little confidence in the increased visibility “at the end of the day it’s about making those who committed the crimes pay dearly” he said “it’s the only way it will stop”.

Related Articles

33 Comments

  • CAREFUL!!!

    While I do give credit where credit is due…I hate to point out the obvious. While driving through CH today at various different times,I saw SIX different police issuing tickets.Obviously, Bloomberg plans on having the extra security in this area paid for by the CH citizens SO BE CAREFUL!!! Also..if this lasts more than a week..I’ll be shocked!We’ve seen this so many times in the past…extra security for a few days, the police get to give themselves the proverbial pat on the back for doing a great job..and then we’re left with nothing but the same fear to walk in our streets!

  • you know me

    the cops are on kingston, brooklyn and albany. but why are the not on schenectady, utica ?

  • shmu

    how can we show our thanks and appreciation to the NYPD for thier efforts in making this neighborhood safer?? any ideas?

  • Toishev

    Stop kevetching!!
    The police are making an effort, say thank you and stop thinking negetive that “soon they’ll be gone and crime will return”.
    I’m surprised that Kelly actually did anything for us after the chutzpadike reception that we gave him the other day….

  • eli

    That’s stupidity the NYPD is clowning around and wasting taxpayers’ money. that’s this like last time they’ll be here for a week two weeks and then they’re gone. a It’s time to install surveillance cameras around the neighborhood.b time to arrest and prosecute,No nonsense, united we fight united because we all need each other to deter crime in this neighborhood. God bless

  • Sam

    For those complaining about the Police giving tickets – if your not doing anything wrong, you will not get a ticket! (amazing isn’t it…). So stop moaning, and be thankful for the increased Police.

  • tgvzg

    1 every shop vendor in crown heights should advertise 20% off to all police personnel!
    2 remember for hundreds of years the rosh hakohol has bribed the heads of the city for protection.
    america is nisht anderesh!

  • WatchDog2

    I don’t get it…

    People were complaining that there
    wasn’t enough police presence and
    now there is… WHAT is wrong now?

    Common complain a little more…

    How do you know the NYPD is not
    working on finding the perps to
    the recent attacks? THATS RIGHT
    YOU DON’T..

    WOW You seriously are never
    thankful for anything are you?

  • joey

    im happy kelly is finally doing something, for once i feel like my voice was heard

  • Golom Meprag

    “Uder Gur under Gurnisht” I wish they would conserve some of this heavy NYPD budjet and have a steady 2-3 car patrole in the yidish 10 squere block area throughout the summer.

  • Now what!?

    Some people are just never happy. While I have to agree with some, this will only last a week or two tops, HOWEVER we MUST show our Hakoras Hatov to the commish and to each individual footpost. Remember a thank you goes a long way!

    While this maybe a temporary solution it is definatly a step in the right direction, so please give credit where it is do and stop being so cynical.

    Oh by the way the people concerned with the “ticket blitz” Drive in accordance with the VTL and you won’t have any problems. Just because the Police are showing a increased presence for security doesn’t mean other laws can be broken.

  • the rebbe power

    we all need to have achduss and stick together the hashem will help us

  • Mendy Hecht

    There are two things that will eradicate crime in Crown Heights, and they go hand in hand:

    1. A drastic increase in the severity of the fines, sentences and other punishments, starting with not releasing juvenile delinquents to their guardians before they do some serious time. Put simply, make the price of crime too high to pay.

    2. An increase not necessarily in the number of police officers, but in their effectiveness. I appreciate the fact that they are busy, but somehow they have to respond far quicker to crime scenes so as to catch criminals–particularly muggers and burglars–in the act.

    The solution is not cameras or better police report filing. It’s simply creating a strong enough deterrent. If you know that if you commit a crime in Crown Heights, you WILL be caught and you WILL be busted for a long time, you just won’t take the risk. Basic human nature. It’s that simple.

    So the first step is changing both the existing laws on the books as well as police SOP (standard operating procedure).

  • a crown heights jew

    Thank you NYPD. You are the best and anyone that says otherwise is wrong.

  • Pentax

    To tgvzg…

    I know many cops and they hate
    being treated different like..

    Free food or coffee, or discounts…

  • Shke

    A. Big thank you to NYPD
    (It’s impossible for them to stay here forever, but it’s good while it lasts, and it’s the effort that counts).

    B. Residents of crown-heights, be on high alert for ticketing!! A cop thought he saw me without a seat belt, he came to double check. (Luckily i noticed it, and I had time to slip it on)

  • non cher

    yes we got them but tommorow not so dont be so happy yet im not from crownheights but i go there very often and iwan to be safe so lets hope they stay up
    in matter of fact im comin in on shabbos

  • qkfngers

    First of all, everyone should make the extra effort to say hello, good morning, good evening, etc. to the police on the corners, walking the beat, and standing around. No one likes to be unappreciated. The fact is I certainly feel better knowing there is a cop nearby…even if it is temporary. Be respectful and polite. It’s the proper thing to do and an excellent example to our kids.

    On the other hand, wow, it looks like a war zone here from all the pics.
    Everyone be safe.

  • If only...

    While thanking the police for their effort is proper, they are obligated to do so… we are no different than any other resident of NY, the police are obligated to protect and serve us just as much as any other neighborhood in NYC.
    While showing the foot patrols’ appreciation is a nice thing, remember they are here for show only. they will ticket you for nonsense, and they will take away your legal parking spots… (did you realize they posted cops on extremly congested blocks in legal spots and residents don’t have where to park?)
    Regarding the reception; Kelly is running for mayor, and if he won’t show face in CH, he is afraid of people talking about him “not caring” about residents. I strongly believe he got a nice reception, what did he expect, someone should kiss his toes for the crime? why didnt he post more patrols in this neighborhood from the very beginning? why does it have to snowball into something big before he shows any response??? he is an inadquate thug just as Vega and other NYPD brass. what people should kiss up to him because he wants to become mayor? Rudy did not look for that, and cleaned the city better than Kelly would ever dream of… Bloomberg and his administration proved that they can destroy the efforts that Hon. Mayor Rudy put into cleaning this great city.
    The solution for this problem is not as simple as it sounds, but we need to create a Guardian Angels style oganization in CH, where it will be a united effort, where members will be proud to serve and protect. where the organization has attorneys on staff to assure that every criminal offense (especially by cops) is prosecuted properly, and the organization files a complaint in the system it does not get thrown out by the DA… such an organization is a dream, but only if we unite and make this dream come true…

  • Anonymous

    “shmu wrote:
    how can we show our thanks and appreciation to the NYPD for thier efforts in making this neighborhood safer?? any ideas?”

    YOU CAN START BY SIMPLY SAYING THANK YOU,
    GOOD MORNING OFFICER, GOOD AFTERNOON ETC… JUST SMILE…BE A MENTCH (TO EVERY HUMEN BEING).

  • hoping we do better

    yasher koach for the calls for mentshlichkeit — this is sooo often lacking in this neighborhood, between Jews as well as between non-Jews and Jews. Let’s have hakaras hatov and act like mentschen.

  • ceo

    we have to be menschen but we have to decently voice the fact that in any community, especially one with this situation / history, needs work breaking up the gangs. They are responsible for more than what upsets the Jewish community as well, and the Black community has not spoken about it, they seem that they’re all afraid to deal with it.
    Nevertheless, its important to work on what we are able to, and one is ACHDUS and Ahavas Yisroel. Can someone come up with ideas of what we can do in this area?
    First of all, lets make the shuls the best we can. We cannot use shul for talking! We can smile at each other, but DAVEN when its time to daven. A smile can help immensely while we are devoted to our zman tefiloh.

  • mediation committee?

    BS”D

    I think they look up to us as holy pple deep down in side and perhaps are mad that we are not sharing some wisdom with them? it is a thought, no?
    in other words, minimum we need to have regular open dialogue with their representatives.
    it would have also been helpful if they were at the march on erev shabbos.

  • Wake up & smell the doughnuts!

    The point is not MORE police, the point is that the police DO SOMETHING! Did everybody already forget the incident on Motzie Shabbos?!? (It was reported here, go check it out) A Black male on a bike was kicking jewish pedestrians while weilding a knife -RIGHT IN FRONT OF COPS!!!! needless to say no arrests were made! this is not an isolated case, it is what is going on. Don’t be naive, the police are here for show.

    As for showing appreciation, I used to have a custom (after 9-11) of greeting & thanking every cop I met but I stopped that a few years back when I lost all respect for these people. Until they earn back that respect I completely ignore them.

  • We can work it out

    IT is nice the cops are here longer.

    At the same time we can use this opportunity of relative calm to get both civilian patrols of our neighborhood to work out their differences and come to some agreement. This is where the leaders MUST STEP IN

    Let us not forget, if we cant get the two groups who both charge themselves with protecting the neighborhood to work out their differences….then we can only expect from the Non Jewish security force…the police to basically laugh in our faces.

    I am sure there is hate and anger and it is not my place to condone or condemn a side.

    No one is saying both sides have to become friends and invite each other to weddings. No one is saying they need to learn Chassidus and open a yeshiva together. No one is saying they must make shidduchim with each others siblings and cousins.

    Neverthless some agreement needs to be worked out to show the police that we as a Jewish community are united…at least regarding security issues.

    It also shouldnt be that when a Jew is attacked they have to now be thrown in the middle of the civilian patrol fight and basically have to pick a side.
    Ad mosai

    Thank you civilian patrols for trying to keep our streets safe. Now lets have some mesirus nefesh and work out our differences

  • Moshe G.

    I live in the building right next to where the young teen was assaulted last week.The fact that it happened next to where I live was frightening and I found myself looking over my shoulder while I would walk home.

    Now that there are police on every corner in the community it has accomplished the following:

    I feel safe walking home late at night.

    Thankfully there have been no incidents of violence in the past few days.

    So I want to thank the police for doing a great job in protecting the community.

    Of course, people can always complain that alot more needs to be done.And others can complain that the police did not act fast enough.But right now we have recieved what we asked for.We have cops all of the neighborhood doing a good job and making us feel safe again to walk home.

    My only complaint would be that based on past history this increased police presence will not last and after a few days things will go back to usual and people will be scared to walk the streets.

    But for now I am enjoying my freedom of walking home safely while it lasts.

  • Israel

    High visibility police is not going to solve the problem of icreased attacks by blacks against Jews. What is needed is arrests, and tough prosecution of the perpetrators. This can be accomplished by decoys and plain clothes police who walk the neighborhood late at night dressed in hassidic garb and a beard. This flooding of the neighborhood by the police during daytime hours is nothing more than a publicity stunt by the mayor. It is also a way to make a bonanza from tickets for minor traffic infractions mainly for not wearing seatbelts. I hope no one in the Jewish community will be taken in by these publicity stunts, because that’s all they are. It is time to say to Mayor Bloomberg “Shame on you!”

  • f.g.

    stop complaining just be a mentch and say hello to them make them feel happy they are doing somthing i was walking by a policeman and i all said was good morning and i saw a smile come on his face just thank them for what they are doing dont go into discount for them i like to thank kelly for doing what he did adding police protection to crown heights making it safer for us
    all it take is to say hello