December 29, 2009 / Brooklyn news / Police Blotter

Nabes took a real bite out of crime this year

By Gersh Kuntzman

The Brooklyn Paper

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The Brooklyn Paper / Chris Cascarano

Cops did the job this year, statistics show.

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Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly hailed each other on Monday for “staggering” crime reductions citywide that have made New York the safest city in America.

But what was the crime picture like in your neighborhood? Check out The Brooklyn Paper’s roll call below (all statistics are current through Dec. 27, according to the NYPD):

• 94th Precinct (Greenpoint-Williamsburg): Murders surged in the neighborhood (there were three this year, up from one in 2008), but every other class of crime decreased. There were 10 percent fewer robberies (116 compared to 129), 13.6 fewer assaults (70, down from 81) and 14.6 percent fewer car thefts (123, down from 144). Overall, crime was down 6.18 percent.

• 90th Precinct (Williamsburg-Bushwick): A whopping six murders led the dishonor roll, but that was the same number of homicides as last year. And despite huge decreases in robbery (down 23.5 percent), grand larceny (down 24.2 percent) and car theft (down 16.5 percent), the precinct’s good marks were marred by a double-digit hike in burglaries (477 this year, compared to 416 last year) and a 1.8-percent uptick in assaults. Overall, crime was down 11.53 percent.

• 88th Precinct (Fort Greene-Clinton Hill): Big decreases in robberies (down 16.7 percent), grand larceny (down 12.5 percent) and car theft (down 12 percent) led the way, but the story in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill wasn’t perfect. Burglaries were up four percent and assaults were up 1.5 percent. Overall, crime was down 9.24 percent.

• 84th Precinct (Brooklyn Heights-DUMBO-Downtown): If robberies are down nearly 40 percent, that’s a good year. And that drop from 244 reported thefts to 151 was the big story in the 8-4 this year. The precinct also enjoyed a 19-percent drop in assaults, a 25-percent drop in burglaries, and a 10-percent drop in grand larcenies — though murder (one) and rape (three) were unchanged from last year. Overall, crime was down 18.1 percent.

• 78th Precinct (Park Slope): Every crime category was down — and down big — this year except for car theft. As loyal readers of our police blotter know, car theft is the unending plague on Park Slope — often with thieves taking cars older than 10 years. This year, car theft was up 14 percent, with 97 sets of wheels being swiped.

The good news? There was only one murder, down from three last year, and there were double-digit cuts in robbery (147 to 125), assault (70 to 57) and grand larceny (437 to 374). Overall, crime was down 10.86 percent.

• 76th Precinct (Cobble Hill-Carroll Gardens-Red Hook): One of the city’s notoriously low-crime precincts saw, as you might expect, only a small drop in crime this year. Robberies led the way with a 24-percent dip (73, down from 96 last year). Overall, crime was down 7.71 percent.

• 68th Precinct (Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights): A 42-percent drop in burglary led the way to a major overall drop in crime. According to police stats, there were 193 break-ins this year, down from 337 last year. Robbery (28 percent) and assault (25.5 percent) were also down big. Overall, crime was down 21.3 percent.

©2009 Community Newspaper Group