Captain Thomas Conforti has kept the residents of the affected areas constantly updated through the Precinct Council Community meetings and postings on Facebook. Patricia Adams/The Forum Newsgroup
The 112th precinct has cause to celebrate this week after the arrest of a career criminal now believed to be associated with more than a dozen burglaries split between the 112th in Forest Hills and the 106 precinct serving Ozone Park and Howard Beach.
Officers from the 112th precinct’s anti-crime unit spotted a late model Pacifica previously identified in a surveillance photo, while they were out patrolling in the burglary zone. Officers continued to observe the suspect, a male Hispanic, as he “cased” a house in Forest Hills. But they say for some reason, he changed his plans and decided to travel to nearby Ozone Park.
With the officers on his tail, Mario Girau, 27, arrived at a location on Tahoe Street in the confines of the 106th precinct, and proceeded to enter a home there. Minutes later, they apprehended him in the process of a live burglary.
Following Girau’s apprehension it was determined that the perpetrator had history including four arrests and that he did not reside in the areas where the burglaries had taken place.
Captain Thomas Conforti, Commanding Officer of the 112th precinct, said that his arrest was a significant piece in bringing the burglary siege in Forest Hills closer to an end. “This individual is definitely responsible for about 6-7 burglaries in the confines of our precinct and several others in the 106,” Conforti told The Forum. “Getting him off the street is a major breakthrough for us.” Conforti went on to say that a common estimation in the police department is that for every burglary that a criminal is caught for, they have probably committed 5-6 more that go under the radar.
In assigning credit outside the performance of his officers, Conforti said that video images of the perpetrators vehicle were absolutely the key to this successful arrest. Reflecting on times in years when images were not so readily available, Conforti labeled the advances of technology as a valuable addition to crime fighting. In this case, a video image obtained from a resident’s surveillance camera gave police valuable information including the cars description, exact time of the burglaries and an image of a possible perpetrator.
Video surveillance photos of the Chrysler Pacifica use in the burglaries have been credited by Captain Conforti as being instrumental in the arrest of Mario Girau. NYPD
In just a week after the release of the photo, the suspect was in custody. Making a case for the value of these surveillance photos, the captain noted several recent cases in which video identification brought about successful resolve in various crimes.
Photos were used to catch those responsible for recent phone snatchings at train stations along Queens Boulevard, in the laundry room pattern in apartment buildings and in the knifepoint robberies around 63rd Drive. The captain suggested that if one or two homes on every street had cameras to supply police with video images, it would serve as an invaluable resource to the police in bringing suspects into custody.
In touching on other things associated with the burglaries, Conforti pointed out to residents on the Precinct Council’s Facebook page that the house the suspect was casing in the Forest Hills area while officers were observing him really fit the bill as what a burglar would be looking for. A pile of mail on the front step was a clear indicator that the homeowner was away. There were no lights left on inside to further confirm the house was empty.
Another clue Conforti urged homeowners to look for is unfamiliar cars parked for extended periods of time. During the course of the most recent rash of burglaries, the suspect parked his car on the block and watched the resident’s daily routines. The captain asked for anyone observing an occupied vehicle on a street for an extended period of time to call 911.
Follow activity in the 112th Precinct on their Facebook page: 112 Precinct Community Council
By Patricia Adams
