BY SEAN EGAN | It was business as usual but with one usual suspect missing, at April 26’s edition of the 10th Precinct’s monthly Community Council meeting. While Community Council President Larry O’Neill was absent this month recuperating from leg surgery, Commanding Officer Captain Paul Lanot (along with Crime Prevention Officer Jarett DiLorenzo and Community Affairs Detective Mike Petrillo) led the neighbors assembled at the precinct through news and statistics both encouraging and concerning — despite suffering from an obvious frog in his throat.
Starting the meeting off on a positive note, Capt. Lanot took time to present a pair officers with the Cop of the Month award. “On April 6, at about 10:30 in the morning two officers performed an extraordinary job,” he said of April’s recipients, Officers Brendan Dono and James Argeniziano, awarded for their role in helping to save the life of a man in critical condition on Seventh Ave. and W. 20th St. Responding to a call, they arrived to find a man in the back of a taxi with no pulse. The two performed CPR on the individual for a few crucial minutes, eventually helping to get him breathing again by the time an ambulance arrived on the scene.
“A lot of the times you hear about negative interactions,” Capt. Lanot commented. “This is just another example of the things our officers are doing out there. I just wanted to thank them.” He further congratulated Officer Argeniziano for recently making it up to the detective squad.
After congratulating the officers of the month one last time, Lanot launched into crime statistics. Over the last 28-day period, he noted, crime had decreased by 30 percent, while it had similarly decreased by seven percent year-to-date from this time last year. Unfortunately, he reported, the precinct had seen a spike in burglaries recently, including in both commercial and residential areas. He noted that the precinct’s been doing outreach at certain buildings to help “proactively engage in crime prevention.” He then turned the floor to Officer DiLorenzo to give some tips about preventing burglaries.
“It always seems to be someone leaving a window open,” observed DiLorenzo, who noted that windows left open or unlocked doors are the most frequent causes that lead to burglaries, rather than forced-entry scenarios. He urged those assembled to double check these entrances are secure when leaving the apartment — even if they live on a higher floor and feel safe. “We have seen instances where people get a little risky,” DiLorenzo warned. “Burglars have died before trying to get access to certain places.”
“You should really look into a different style lock,” he encouraged neighborhood residents, explaining that the standard latch-style window lock installed on most city windows can be easily cracked if they’re simply jimmied around for a little while. Furthermore, DiLorenzo reported that many of the burglaries concern packages, left in the view of vestibules. Oftentimes, if a burglar happens upon a package they want to take, they just ring a bunch of units in the building in question until someone absentmindedly buzzes them in. For this reason, he asked those present to never open the front door until they confirm who they are letting in, especially if they are not expecting any visitors.
“We don’t want to see you on the report end,” Lanot concurred. “We want you to be on the front end, preventing any possible issues.”
Finally, Lanot opened the floor up to questions and comments from the community. A resident of Penn South, who introduced herself as Phyllis, brought attention to issues arising in a small park space in the housing complex that she reported had a “magnetic attraction” to unsavory activities due to its 24/7 opening. Det. Petrillo and Capt. Lanot assured her they would discuss the matter at an upcoming meeting with Penn South Management. She also broached the topic of immigration and continued worries surrounding deportation. Lanot emphasized, as the NYPD has consistently, that they would not be involved with or aid US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations.
Later, Muhlenberg Library (209 W. 23rd St., btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.) Manager Lateshe Lee requested an increased police presence in that branch of the NYPL, after experiencing troublesome behavior from patrons there last week. “If you guys would just go through every now and then,” said Lee. “Just your presence would help us a lot.”
“We will be there, but we also have a vast neighborhood,” Lanot commented as the meeting drew to a close, while directing Lee to the area’s neighborhood coordinating officers. “We’re going to look out for everybody, and we’re going to work with you, and look out for all the good people.”
The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7pm, at the 10th Precinct (230 W. 20th St., btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.) or other locations to be announced. For info, call Community Affairs: 212-741-8226.
