10 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP • SEPTEMBER 2 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 72nd Precinct meeting addresses crime concerns BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/ Photo by Jaime DeJesus Officers Carmela Anderson and Philip Buonora speak during the monthly Sector C meeting. BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] Crime is down in areas of Sunset, but there is still work to be done. That was the message conveyed by Police Officers Philip Buonora and Carmela Anderson as they hosted a monthly workshop for Sector C, part of the 72nd Precinct’s Neighborhood Coordination Officers Program (NCO) which began in April. Sector C covers what is considered to be the heart of Sunset Park, including the park itself and the Fifth Avenue BID area, and starts at Green-Wood Cemetery. Buonora led the well-attended meeting on Tuesday, August 24 at the the Marien Center, 4520 Fourth Avenue, to discuss some of the concerns voiced by Sunset Park residents, particularly a feared increase in crime. “To give you an idea of how effective this program is, Officer Anderson and myself are changing shifts everyday so that we are working during the time when the condition we are addressing is occurring,” he said. “Since the NCO program has been introduced, overall crime in Sector Charlie has been down 11 percent. If anyone was worried about a rise in crime, that’s not the case.” However, several issues were addressed. “We have been offering summonses for violations in the park, such as drinking alcohol, public urination, and others that have been brought to our attention,” Buonora said. “For the last month, there have been over 40 summonses given.” Late-night robberies have also been a problem over the summer, according to police. “There have a been a noticeable pattern in robberies late at night. We’re talking between midnight and 6 a.m.,” Buonora said. “We’re seeing this pretty much between Third and Sixth Avenue between 41st and 52nd Streets.” To stem the rise in robberies, Buonora and Anderson have changed their shifts to coincide with the hours that the crimes occur. “Last week we did catch someone slashing a victim with a box cutter that happened at 3 a.m.,” he said, adding that narcotic concerns are also being addressed. “There was also a joint operation done with the narcotics division and the DEA. Because it is an ongoing case, we can’t give particulars, but I will say that a firearm was recovered and several vials of crack were taken as a result of that case.” The issue of homeless individuals and shelters was also at the forefront. “We’ve received complaints about the shelter on 39th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues,” he said. “We’ve spoken to the officials there. Loitering may be one thing, but harassment and disorderly conduct are another and they will be addressed accordingly when they come about.” Councilmember Carlos Menchaca applauded the NCO and the precinct’s efforts to be more communicative. “What is interesting is that crime is down when you like at the numbers,” he said. “But this isn’t about crime up or down. This is about community engagement at a time when everyone needs to be at the table to solve some of the issues that we are seeing today. Clearly, we are seeing an active summer in the park, on our streets. We’re all hearing it together and we can be a part of the solution.” “It’s certainly welcome to have a more inclusive approach to policing,” said attendee and founder of Friends of Sunset Park Maria Roca. “It’s more focused than a community council meeting. Clearly it is working. Attendance has grown.” Sunset residents and elected officials call for protected bike lane BY JAIME DEJESUS [email protected] Have the wheels stopped turning? Sunset Park residents have long asked the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) for a safe Fourth Avenue bike lane. Members of the popular Facebook group Sunset Parker, residents, and elected officials have made those calls louder. But DOT doesn’t seem to agree with the idea. Founder of Sunset Parker Tony Giordano sent a letter to DOT on August 21 asking that it consider concerns that had been raised regarding plans to widen the center median of Fourth Avenue as part of its safety reconfiguration, specifically requesting a protected lane for bikers. “We ask that DOT do a serious study of creating a protected bike route along Fourth Avenue both north and south bound,” said Giordano in the letter. “DOT has told us that Fourth Avenue is not wide enough to have a protected bike lane, yet last year they proposed one for a section of Sixth Avenue in Manhattan and we found that it was slightly less wide than Fourth.” However, according to the DOT, a protected bike lane on Fourth doesn’t seem like a viable option.“Because of the road configuration and number of vehicles along Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park, a protected bike lane BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/ file photo Sunset Park residents and elected officials want a protected bike lane along Fourth Avenue. would be very difficult to include with the ongoing capital project,” a DOT spokesperson told this paper. “Not only is this a major vehicular corridor, the street has large concrete medians that cannot be moved because they are ventilation ducts for the R train. DOT will continue to explore ways to improve the north-south bike network in Sunset Park.” Councilmember Carlos Menchaca has also requested that a discussion be had regarding the bike lane. “Last spring, we went out to the community and started talking about it and getting serious ideas on the table,” Menchaca told this paper. “What we want to continue to do is make a very clear proposal to DOT about the bike lane and ask them to come back with an analysis so we can all see the same type of data. That’s the next step.” Sunset resident Rob Aguilar, who has long lobbied for the bike lane, shared his frustration at the lack of progress. “I’ve sat in meetings that we’ve requested with the DOT commissioner where he’s basically flat out said no to the protected bike lane,” he said. “I really commend Carlos for stepping up and fighting for it. It’s an uphill battle that’s been frustrating at times, especially when a neighborhood like Marine Park gets a protected bike lane without asking for it. We’ve been asking for one for years and Sunset Park gets ignored.” “DOT deceptively subtracts from Fourth Avenue their planned wider median so that we do not meet the needed dimensions,” Giordano contested in the letter. “We are saying a bike lane is more important than a wider median since the safety of pedestrians can better be provided for with safety bollards.”
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