Bay Ridge may be the best neighborhood in Brooklyn, but it has it’s share of troubles. The neighborhood witnessed a rape earlier in the month as well as what appears to be a rise in home burglaries and drug trafficking. Police report that crime in the 68th precinct is down this year, but citizens feel that crime is worsening. There’s even been a “town Hall” meeting about what the Brooklyn Eagle has deemed a “crime wave.” (To the extent that Compstat numbers are reliable, they show overall crime down 3.91 percent this year from last year, although burglary has spiked 100 percent in the last week compared to the same week a year ago.) Check out the latest Compstat report for the precinct here. What has happened in the last few weeks to spark this rise (or perceived rise) in criminal activity? Last Tuesday police officers were on our corner handing out flyers about burglary prevention, but on Friday a friend witnessed a mugging in broad daylight on Ovington St. and 5th Avenue.
—Vanessa Raymond
3 responses so far ↓
1 ff // Oct 23, 2008 at 10:28 pm
This is part of the city’s new affordable housing program. Police service is being selectively withdrawn from some communities in order to allow crime rates to increase, which drives down the price of real estate. It’s all part of PlaNYC.
2 sensibleanonymous // Oct 24, 2008 at 11:10 am
Don’t think so, FF. There isn’t any more or less police presence in Bay Ridge than before. And as this article says the overall crime is down. I lived in Bay Ridge 4 years ago and there was a rape then too, in broad daylight. My neighbor got mugged in our lobby in an upscale part of Bay Ridge. The problem is it’s very isolated, and there are many streets that are mostly empty of people much of the day and certainly at night. Walking home at night I often went a long avenue block without passing a soul the whole way. It made me wary. I’d rather live in a busier more bustling neighborhood, and now I do.
3 Paroletroll // Oct 26, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Bloomturd says index crimes are up but crime is down citywide. Nice try. I was lodging a perp at the toombs last wednesday and I hadent seen it that busy since 95. Go see for yourself.