BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Usually held at 7pm on the last Wednesday of the month, 2013’s first installment of the 10th Precinct’s Community Council Meeting took place on Thursday, January 31. Otherwise, it was business as usual — with a small but engaged group of locals in attendance to voice quality of life concerns and hear the latest crime index statistics.
“Grand larceny really drives the crime in this command,” said Deputy Inspector Elisa Cokkinos. After noting that the 10th Precinct “finished thirty percent up in crime in 2012” when compared to the previous year, Cokkinos added, “We would have had an eight percent decrease if not for identity theft.”
Special Ops officer Lt. Wilfredo Ramos spoke about the ongoing local problem of bank accounts being compromised through the use of ATM skimmer machines — devices which look as if they’re part of the machine, but allow thieves to see you punching in your PIN number. The public was advised to avoid sidewalk or outdoor ATMs and cover the keypad with one hand while they use the other to enter their PIN number.
Cokkinos gave a number of other reasons for the grand larceny crime rate, citing “8,700 new residents in the community” as well as “the High Line, which has brought a lot more tourists into the area…and the neighborhood continues to grow. It’s very robust and commercial. So with that, there are certain crimes you’re going to see have little upticks.”
Readers of Chelsea Now’s Blotter page are familiar with the high cost of larceny crime, which in our area often takes the form of pickpocketing or bicycle and car theft — but is most often the result of carelessness on the part of absentminded (frequently inebriated) individuals partaking in local nightlife. Bags and purses left unattended in clubs or slung on the back of chairs while dining are easy targets for opportunistic thieves, who use these scenarios to score electronic devices and rack up unauthorized charges on credit cards.
With cell phones a popular target, Cokkinos urged local residents to bring their mobile devices into the Precinct. “We can register it with my Crime Prevention Officer,” she said. “We put it into a database and if your phone gets stolen, we can track it [if it’s activated].”
Officer George Triantis noted that in addition to cell phones, the NYPD’s Operation ID program also encourages the public to register their GPS units, iPads and Nook devices. The service is free, and involves registering the serial number of portable electronics along with the owner’s name and contact information. Items can also be optionally engraved with a uniquely identifiable serial number prefaced with the letters NYC.
“When a suspect is arrested” and found to be in possession of these products, explained Triantis, “We can check it” to see if the registration number matches a device in their database. If so, the owner will be reunited with the stolen item. Triantis is available Monday through Friday for Operation ID product registration. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the 10th Precinct, at 212-741-8228.
