COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING: Lanot’s first go | Last week marked Captain Paul Lanot’s first Community Council meeting as the commanding officer as the 10th Precinct (and the group’s first meeting since the summer). Coming so soon after the Chelsea bombing on Sept. 17, the Sept. 28 meeting found many of the uniformed personnel from outside police units that aided in the aftermath drop by for a personal thanks from Lanot. In addition, the Counterterrorism Unit’s Inspector Huerta took questions from those assembled, and reminded people to stay vigilant and call the counterterrorism hotline (1-888-NYC-SAFE) if they see something suspicious. Lanot also was tasked with providing Cop of the Month awards to not one, but three officers: Officer Robert Karl for the quick-thinking use of his department cellphone to prevent theft; and Officers Shawn Mooney and Rui Sanches for helping to swiftly resolve an amber alert situation.
Nonetheless, despite these unusual diversions, Lanot spent most of the time fielding questions about regular community concerns, like homelessness and traffic issues. In doing so he got to know some of the Council’s regulars, and assure them the precinct would be pursuing new ways to prevent crime and improve quality of life under his leadership — as he has been studying the area and precinct “inside out, outside in, up, and down” since assuming the commanding officer mantle. “I am incredibly pleased to be here serving you in this community,” he said.
PETIT LARCENY: Ciroc you like a hurricane | With every step he took, Chelsea Wine Cellar (200 W. 21st St., at Seventh Ave.) would be missing booze, when on Thurs., Sept. 29, one bad boy for life pilfered P. Diddy’s vodka of choice. According to the 52-year-old Queens man working that evening, at around 7:20pm a group of men entered the store at the same time. One of them, he said, helped himself to two bottles of Ciroc, and then left the store, fleeing westbound on W. 21st St. Though couldn’t nobody hold down the boozy bandit (a police canvas yielded negative results), he was captured on tape with evidence showing him stealing the bottles — which, valued at $98, were more or less about the Benjamins.
LOST PROPERTY: Cab confusion | One forgetful woman learned that she probably shouldn’t put all her eggs in one basket — or at least all her Apple products in one backpack. A little before 11pm on Mon., Sept 29, the 33-year-old got out of a cab in front of her apartment building on the 300 block of 11th Ave. (btw. W. 29th & W. 30th Sts.), and shortly thereafter realized that she was missing a whole host of things. She called the cab service to ask about her stuff, but they didn’t have it, and she was at a loss as to where it could be. In total, the woman lost $2,272 worth of stuff that still hasn’t turned up, including pricey goodies like her MacBook Pro and an iPad air — all in her REI backpack.
FRAUDULENT ACCOSTING: The Faux Monte | On Sun., Oct. 2, one unobservant con man didn’t know when to fold ’em, and wound up getting held himself — in jail that is. An NYPD officer saw the man obstructing pedestrian foot traffic by conducting one of the oldest scams in the book, a game of three-card Monte, while on the 300 block of W. 16th St. (btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.) at around 1:15am. No sleight of hand, however, could fool the officer and prevent him from finding “a quantity of a controlled substance” and a crack pipe on the dirty dealer when he inspected the situation further. The 57-year-old Bronx resident, then, became the mark himself, as he was arrested.
LOST PROPERTY: Papers gone to the Heaviside Layer | Reporting to the police on Fri., Sept. 30, a 31-year-old East Side resident informed authorities that she lost both her American visa and Mexican passport. She claimed to have had these documents when she left the Times Square Hotel (59 W. 46th St., btw. Fifth & Sixth Aves.) on Tues., Sept. 27, but could not find them by the time she arrived at The Out NYC hotel (510 W. 42nd St., btw. 10th & 11th Aves.) later that day. In the time in between, she told police that she went out to buy tickets to visit Washington, DC, as well as to go see the Broadway revival of (ugh) Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats.” The woman has no memory — all alone in the moonlight, or otherwise — of being bumped, or jostled, or Rum Tum Tugged at during the period of time when the documents went missing. The only reasonable assumption is that the universe is punishing her for supporting “Cats” — because seriously, the real crime here is that “Cats” is still allowed to be a thing in 2016 [EDITOR’S NOTE: Chelsea Now does not necessarily share, or condone, Mr. Egan’s opinions about the feline-themed creative output of Baron Lloyd-Webber of Sydmonton].
—SEAN EGAN
THE 10th PRECINCT: Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Capt. Paul Lanot. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-924-3377. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7pm, at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced.
THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Brendan Timoney. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meets on the third Tues. of the month, 6:30pm, at the 13th Precinct.
CASH FOR GUNS | $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.
