PHOTO: Deputy Inspector Jeff Schiff, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, detailed the latest crime statistics Tuesday night at the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic meeting. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Howard Beach’s summer crime story was a positive tale, according to the 106th Precinct’s top cop.
From June 1 through Sept. 27, major felony offenses dipped 27 percent, compared to the same period last year, Deputy Inspector Jeff Schiff noted Tuesday night as he addressed the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic meeting.
However, Schiff said that recently, burglaries seem to be on the rise in the area, particularly in Lindenwood. He said that he and his officers “have been seeing a number of garage break-ins north of the Belt Parkway.”
Schiff, who was still battling the lingering effects of laryngitis on Tuesday, added that in many of the garage incidents, expensive construction tools were stolen and often subsequently listed for sale on popular sites like Craigslist.org.
The precinct’s commanding officer also spotlighted the strides the 106 made this summer in reining in automobile thefts in Howard Beach. Since June 1, there have been eight reports of stolen cars, down from 18 last year at this time.
Schiff credited the decline in part to the recent bust of a massive citywide auto theft ring, which netted 13 people. He said this crew had been responsible for swiping at least 77 cars—six of which belonged to 106th Precinct residents.
The dirty baker’s dozen has been charged with 33 counts each of grand larceny auto and enterprise corruption; the latter offense, Schiff noted, comes with a stipulation of mandatory jail time.
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
