Crime has been on the decline in North Brooklyn for the past year, but Deputy Inspector Dennis Fulton wants community members to take crime prevention into their own hands.
Well, not literally, but at a recent meeting at the 94th Precinct’s station house at 100 Meserole Avenue, Fulton outlined several steps for civilians to protect themselves against violent crime and theft.
“To make yourself safer, walk in well lit places and try not to be alone late at night. We’re down in crime and I want to continue that trend downward,” said Fulton, though he noted a recent spate of robberies and burglaries as a cause for concern.
So far this year, there have been 14 robberies, up from 9 over the same period in 2009, while there have been 13 burglaries, down from 16 in the same period last year, and 13 grand larcenies, down from 15 in the same period last year. Fulton noted the slight drop in burglaries and grand larcenies, and that there have been no murders or rapes reported in the precinct this year, but that did not mean that residents and officers should stop being vigilant.
“Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t drink so much where you are intoxicated, where you don’t know what’s going on, or if you’re on a cell phone, where you don’t know your surroundings,” said Fulton, who added that if residents are both intoxicated and on the cell phone, it could make them even more vulnerable to being spotted as a victim for theft.
Fulton and his crime prevention officers are advising North Brooklynites to lock their doors and windows at night or when they leave the house and to call 911 if suspicious of criminal activity.
“Don’t leave anything of value unattended,” said Fulton. “Don’t leave valuables in your car. It’s not a secure location. It’s not as secure as your house would be.”
Fulton elaborated that if community groups, such as Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, work with the precinct on identifying quality of life issues, some crimes could be avoided.
When asked about how to improve policing techniques, Fulton noted that foot and bike patrols do circulate in the 94th Precinct, which reinforces a visible police presence on Williamsburg streets.
“We do put out foot posts, not all the time. We’ll continue to look at that as opposed to car patrols,” said Fulton.
