Back at the 10th, and in command: Captain David S. Miller, at May 22’s Community Council meeting.
BY SCOTT STIFFLER | At his first Community Council meeting since taking over the leadership position at Chelsea’s 10th Precinct, Captain David S. Miller repeatedly assured residents that all concerns brought to the attention of his officers would be taken seriously, and all leads aggressively pursued.
This is Miller’s first command, having spent the last three years at the Seventh Precinct. Prior to that, he was at the 10th Precinct for six years. “What I embrace about this command,” said Miller, while comparing Chelsea to parts of the city shaped by the ebb and flow of nonresidential workers, “is that more than the Wall Street area, or Midtown, it’s all about community here.” Miller did note, however, that he returns to a Chelsea in which the expanded presence of tourists and nightlife patrons accounts for an unusually high rate of larceny crimes (when compared to other indexes such as assault).
Although Miller’s predecessor (Deputy Inspector Elisa Cokkinos, now assigned to the Sixth Precinct) regularly urged Community Council attendees to use common sense precautions meant to discourage sidewalk café, pedestrian and clubland larceny, Miller used his inaugural appearance before the council to discuss the annual uptick in domestic theft. “We’re coming into the warm weather,” he said, advising residents to “Close your windows and lock them” before going out. “There are individuals out there who will take the things we’ve worked hard for,” he warned.
Miller also appealed for ongoing cooperation between the community and his officers. “I look at this as a partnership,” he said, after vowing to build on the work of Cokkinos — who, during her 40 months at the 10th Precinct, used the monthly Community Council meetings as an opportunity to cite rises or drops in crime rates, and report on the status of issues discussed at previous meetings.
“We can’t drive down crime ourselves,” said Miller, noting that he “wanted to build on ‘If you see something, say something.’ No matter how minute you think a problem may be, let us know. Even if it turns out to be a nothing job, it gives my guys practice.”
Miller would reiterate that sentiment later in the meeting. “We respond to everything as if it’s real,” he said, when addressing the recent spike in bias attacks against LGBT people (including the assault of a gay couple near Madison Square Garden as well as this past weekend’s assault of a man exiting West 42nd Street’s XL Nightclub). “Along the Eighth Avenue corridor,” assured Miller, “you’ll see more officers out there. We don’t need the copycats. That’s what we’re trying to prevent.”
Stanley Bulbach, of the West 15th Street Block Association (covering the 100 and 200 blocks), raised concerns about the proliferation of all-night parties on rooftops and in backyards. “Why,” he asked, does the city “permit dozens of people on rooftops, with alcohol and few escape routes?” Miller and Bulbach spoke at length after the meeting.
Responding to a local resident’s concerns about security issues on the block that houses the Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC), Miller admitted he’s “not too familiar with it yet.” But he did briefly acknowledge the fact that the BRC’s location (127 West 25th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues) puts the building itself outside of 10th Precinct boundaries. As a result, 13th Precinct officers respond to complaints at the BRC and on the block — while the 10th Precinct is responsible for the Seventh Avenue area.
Larry O’Neill, President of the 10th Precinct Community Council and a regular attendee at the BRC’s monthly Community Advisory Committee meetings, noted that there were no complaints associated with BRC clients in the Penn South area. One of the precinct’s Community Affairs representatives, Officer Michael Petrillo, commented that the nearby Fashion Institute of Technology has its own security, and has not reported any difficulties with BRC clients. “We’re good on our [Seventh Avenue] side,” said Petrillo.
Jeff Hobbs, Deputy Project Director of the Midtown Community Court (314 West 54th Street, between Eight and Ninth Avenues), noted that the court handles all quality of life cases originating in the 10th Precinct (such as prostitution, graffiti, shoplifting, farebeating and vandalism). Hobbs invited the public to attend their “Community Court Site Visit,” to be held on Tuesday, June 4. The two-hour event (10:30am-12:30pm) will include a tour of the court, an observation of court proceedings and an introduction to key programs housed at the court — including Clinical Services and the Fatherhood & Workforce Development Program. After the visit, attendees are invited to stay for June’s edition of the Community Conditions Panel (at which the public can engage in a dialogue with Presiding Judge Felicia Mennin and Project Director Courtney Bryan). To register, visit midtowncommunitycourtsitevisit.eventbrite.com, or call 646-264-1377.
The 10th Precinct is located at 230 West 20th St. (between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.). Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs (officers Sonny Spellmann and Michael Petrillo): 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meeting, open to the public, takes place at 7pm on the last Wednesday of the month. The Council is currently on summer hiatus, and resumes on September 25.
