Assault, burglary, robbery and rape are all down compared to last year, with murder and grand larceny on the rise, the 104th Precinct’s commanding officer, Capt. Christopher Manson, reported this week.
Manson discussed crime in the area at the 104th Precinct Community Council’s meeting Tuesday night at the Peter Cardella Senior Center in Ridgewood.
The murder rate is up from zero last year to three this year. The biggest improvement is the arrest of those breaking into cars, the captain noted. Last year there were 369 occurrences and it is down to 279 this year, a dip of approximately 25%.
“We are increasing the amount we get [arrested] on the street, so it doesn’t have to go to detectives,” said Manson.
Those in attendance got to voice their opinions to Manson and those on the council. One complaint was car races by Juniper Valley Park. According to a resident, theses races happen every night.
“I live across the street from the park and on a nightly bases there are cars that drag race,” he said.
This got a stir from others who had the same complaint.
“The best thing would be speed bumps, but I’ll follow up on it and put enforcement over there,” said Manson. “I will have enforcement over there the best I can.”
There have been a number of cars broken into in Glendale which are in connection to someone labeled the “scooter bandit,” which was brought to attention at the meeting by Community Council President Mario Matos Jr.
“This information was discovered through a Facebook page,” Matos said.
Manson was unaware of this and asked for anyone that has any information to come forward. It is believed by residents that the “scooter bandit” lives in the area of the break-ins, as he gets away quickly. Manson agreed this is very likely.
The captain talked about some key arrests, but went into one story in particular. A man was recently walking through resident’s backyards right off of Metropolitan Ave and 80th street, at 9:40 a.m. Officers then spotted him trying to get into one car and picked up the man. The next day, as he was being released, a resident came in with a video of a car being broken into. It was the same man the officers had arrested and now they were able to hold him again, this time for grand larceny.
Manson swore in Patricia Grayson as the assistant secretary of the precinct council.
“I assist everybody,” Grayson said of her role on the council that works to bridge police and community members.
Officers ended the meeting by handing out fliers with Avonte Oquendo, the 14-year-old Rego Park boy with autism, who is missing. Officers told the residents to keep an open eye and if they think they see him, to call. Officers also stated that the search has widened from Queens to Manhattan as well.
The next community council meeting will be on November 19th at Sacred Heart in Glendale, at 7:30 p.m.
By Michael Florio