BROOKLYN-USA.ORG BROOKLYN NEWS 21 OPERATION Safe Shopper In the wake of a series of assaults and attacks throughout Brooklyn during the early part of 2016, Borough President Adams launched “Operation Safe Shopper,” an initiative pairing local New York City Police Department (NYPD) precincts with business improvement districts (BIDs) and 501(c)(3) civic organizations, to cost-effectively deploy security camera systems along commercial corridors that can assist in the investigation of local crimes. The camera locations are selected in concert with the local precinct, and each precinct is informed of the location in order to quickly turnaround footage in the event of a crime taking place. “Too often when criminal activity occurs along our commercial corridors, police waste precious time surveying local businesses to see if they have cameras that may or may not have filmed actions related to the crime,” said Borough President Adams. “Operation Safe Shopper is a smart deployment of security technology that partners key community stakeholders in the greater pursuits of justice and crime deterrence, all while promoting safer shopping experiences that advance local economic activity.” Operation Safe Shopper is also a prudent use of taxpayer dollars. Borough President Adams allocated a total of $12,500 for this pilot program to the Alliance for Coney Island, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project Local Development Corporation in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, the Park Slope 5th Avenue BID, and the Pitkin Avenue BID in Brownsville. The pilot program had only been in place for a short while before bearing fruit in an NYPD robbery investigation. Less than one month after the initial deployment of cameras along Albany Avenue in Crown Heights, NYPD used footage from one of the Operation Safe Shopper cameras purchased by the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council to apprehend a suspect wanted for a knifepoint robbery. Borough President Adams has subsequently called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to commit an additional $1 million in City dollars to expand the program across Brooklyn and New York City. In the meantime, he has expressed his desire to continue to expand the program to other commercial corridors using discretionary funding, and even look to create a residential camera program to help improve safety along highly trafficked residential areas. Borough President Adams has funded other security camera projects in various Brooklyn communities, including Bensonhurst and Williamsburg through his Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) capital budget, and he believes Operation Safe Shopper is a fiscally-responsible complement to those efforts. Photo Credit: Erica Sherman/Brooklyn BP’s Office Borough President Adams, joined by business owners, community leaders, and police officers in Crown Heights, hailed the success of Operation Safe Shopper in capturing footage that the NYPD used to apprehend a suspect wanted for a knifepoint robbery; the security cameras that assisted in the effort, purchased by the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council through the program, are visible behind Borough President Adams. Banking for insomniacs. Live Customer Service 24/7 at Kate’s Most Convenient Bank. Stop by one of our convenient locations in Brooklyn today, visit us at tdbank.com or call 1-888-751-9000. Member FDIC | TD Bank, N.A. © 2016 Visa U.S.A. Inc.
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