Police in Carroll Gardens say that they have gotten a handle on the up-tick in burglaries they have been experiencing for the past month.
“We had a spike in the last month with residential burglaries in the daytime, but, knock wood, that has subsided,” Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper, commanding officer of the 76th Precinct, told this paper following the 76th Precinct Community Council meeting at the Red Hook Justice Center.
NYPD statistics show that burglaries in the 76th Precinct, which protects residents in Carroll Gardens, Red Hook and Gowanus, have jumped by nearly 17 percent over the last year, from 71 to 83.
Kemper said that the increase was due mostly to a surge in burglaries in Carroll Gardens in August and September.
The thieves were coming into the homes through either rear windows or front doors, which were pried open with a crowbar.
To combat the problem, he put out both uniformed police as well as plainclothes officers on patrol looking for any suspicious characters.
Kemper said that his officers recently arrested two thieves breaking into a truck.
Cops also recently apprehended a burglar who was linked to a Smith Street restaurant break-in back on September 23. The suspect, who had a lengthy rap sheet, was apprehended through DNA matching.
“These were quality arrest,” Kemper said. “Hopefully they will have a positive impact.”
“We’re doing our best to catch and deter burglars,” he continued. “If we didn’t get them ourselves, maybe they were apprehended in another command.”
Kemper also encouraged area residents to alert his officers if burglars once again begin sprouting up in the neighborhood.
“If they see anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, or if they hear any information that could help us, our partners in the community should call us,” he said.
So far this year, felony crime in the 76th Precinct is down by nearly two percent.
The precinct has also seen a 28 percent drop in robberies, from 89 in 2007 to 64 this year.
Over the last 15 years, felony crime in the 76th Precinct has dropped by 68 percent.
