Police are going door-to-door on Senator Street to calm resident’s frayed nerves one month after a shooting in nearby Owls Head Park — along with a number of car and home-break-ins — left them wary of just how safe their quiet block really is.
“Crime may be down, but it’s up 100 percent on our block,” said Teresa Cashman, who last month went to Community Board 10 with a petition signed by dozens of residents seeking an uptick in patrols. “No one should have to live this way.”
Besides the shooting, Cashman said, there had been numerous car break-ins and two home break-ins on the block over the past six months, and those who live there have had to deal with groups of teens from outside the neighborhood drinking and hanging out on their stoops.
On Monday, Officer Anthony Curran, a community affairs cop from the 68th Precinct, was ringing doorbells on Senator Street between Ridge Boulevard and Colonial Road, to let those who live there know that cops were, in fact, on the case.
“We know there are a lot of kids there. Right now it’s quiet, but we have to constantly check up on the park,” said Deputy Inspector Eric Rodriguez, commanding officer of the 68th Precinct. “We will keep up with it for the rest of the summer, and scrutinize it even more when school comes back in.”
Rodriguez added that more than 60 summonses for drinking and urinating in public have been written within the confines of Owls Head Park since the beginning of the year. Cops patrol the park at least three times a day, he said, and police in patrol cars are regularly surveying the surrounding area, and checking driveways at night.
That, along with the visit from Officer Curran, have left some residents feeling a little bit better.
“We feel safe,” noted long-time residents Don and Jackie Cohen, who spoke to Curran for about 15 minutes.
