File Photo
City Councilwoman Joann Ariola is chairwoman of the City Council’s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Howard Beach residents are mulling the possibility of hiring a paid security patrol.
City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) and members of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association sparked the conversation about a private anti-crime force patrolling the streets of the South Queens enclave during the civic’s meeting last week.
Interested residents can obtain the civic’s security survey on its Facebook page.
Captain Jerome Bacchi, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, has reported that crime increased 13 percent in the precinct in 2022 compared to 2021.
Courtesy of HBL Civic
Interested residents can find the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association’s security survey on its Facebook page.
According to the civic, to answer the call from many residents the group gathered information regarding the possibility of a private security company to patrol the area overnight. The most feasible option being explored is a security service from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. at a cost of $101,665 per car per year. The security officer is not an NYPD member, they are not armed, they cannot arrest and will call 911
There are approximately 7,500 households in the Howard Beach, Lindenwood and the Hamilton Beach neighborhoods; about 1,000 households would be needed to participate in the program to keep the fee at $100 per household per patrol car, yearly.
Residents and businesses would have the security dispatch phone number to call for assistance, while the civic would act as the liaison and collect all monies and contract the security company for its services.
If the program is agreed upon and the monies collected, services will start by this summer.
