BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP JULY 21 - JULY 27, 2017 39
68th Precinct gears up for
another National Night Out
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
MMCGOLDRICK@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
A tradition of togetherness
thrives on.
The 34th Annual National
Night Out Against Crime, coming up
on Tuesday, August 1, is designed to
take a stand against crime by celebrating
a day of music, games, rides and
information, with Brooklyn precincts,
including the 68th, happily taking part.
“We have quite a number of community
groups that participate,” said
President of the 68th Precinct Community
Council David Ryan, noting that,
while some are anti-crime specific,
many are geared towards community
life in general.
Each year, the event is highly
attended thanks to its activities and
commitment to putting a stop to local
crime. “We’ve had up to 5,000 people
attend this event,” Ryan said. “It not
only shows community support for
the local police department, but it also
shows that our local police officers
want to interact with citizens and
community as a whole and to a enjoy
a fun-filled night together. We offer
free hot dogs too.”
Anti-crime initiatives on hand will
include etching for cars and a hightech
practice through which attendees
can get their smartphones registered
in case they get lost.
“We also have anti-crime tips at the table,”
Ryan added. “People look forward
to seeing all those community groups.
And there’s a chance for them to interact
with the police and express concerns
they might have about the community
as well as some support for our local
police which is always appreciated.”
The event will also offer attendees
the opportunity to meet and learn
about local elected officials. “It will be
a great opportunity to interact with
elected officials,” Ryan said. “They
all have tables at the event and it’s a
chance for them and their staffs to
meet and greet constituents and explain
what their mission is.”
This year, attendees will also get
to meet some candidates currently
eyeing local seats.
Though, according to Ryan, the highlight
of the event is always the music.
This year’s band will be local act Head
Over Heels, which Ryan encourages attendees
to enjoy from their own lawn
chairs, which all are welcome to bring.
Adults aren’t the only ones that will
have fun, Ryan said. There will also be
multiple activities for the kids. “The
precinct will be there with a couple of
its patrol cars and vans that kids get to
go in and we also have those bouncy
rides,” he said. “There will also be some
giveaways and really great raffle prizes.
In the past, we’ve raffled off bicycles
and iPads, and it helps defer the cost of
everything.”
The 68th Precinct Community
Council National Night Out Against
Crime will be held in Shore Road Park
at 79th Street from 6 to 9 p.m.
Sponsors for the event include The
Home Reporter and Brooklyn Spectator,
Century 21, Bay Ridge Auto Group,
Uncle Louie G’s, Northfield Bank,
GYMGUYZ, LoneStar Bar & Grill. NYU
Lutheran Medical Center, Maimonides
Medical Center and Yemen Café.
In neighboring Bath Beach, the 62nd
Precinct will hold its Night Out festivities
outside of the precinct, 1925 Bath
Avenue, from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will
also include food, music, dance, rides,
contests, crafts and games.
Additional reporting by Jaime DeJesus
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/file photo
A scene from last year’s National Night Out.
Countdown clocks revealed
at select R line stations
BY JONATHAN SPERLING
EDITORIAL@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
At least now you'll know how
long you'll be waiting.
The MTA unveiled countdown
clocks at select R train stations,
including those in Bay Ridge, on
Monday, July 11, giving commuters
an easy and accurate way of finding
the arrival time of the next train.
The new clocks rely on existing
wireless networks in the subway
stations, as well as cloud computing,
to provide a relatively accurate
readout, according to the agency.
Four Bluetooth receivers placed in
each station— two at each end of the
platform—work in tandem with four
Bluetooth devices that have been
installed in the first and last cars of
each train running on the R line. As
each train enters and departs the
station, the receivers communicate
with the devices and uses its arrival
and departure time at which the
train will enter the next station.
Besides being available in the form
of physical clocks, estimated times
are also available on the MTA’s Subway
Time smartphone application,
as well as online at apps.mta.info/
traintime.
Countdown clocks will also
become available for 18 stations on
the N line, 13 stations on the D line
and 21 stations on the F line beginning
in November 2017. According
to the MTA, countdown clocks will
be installed and activated in all
269 letter-line stations by the end
of 2017.