By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — The NYPD is starting a new nightlife unit downtown after two late-night shootings in the past month.
The unit, staffed by a sergeant and five police officers, will monitor hotspots and respond to complaints in lower Manhattan’s 1st Precinct from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
“They’re basically going to be my eyes and ears,” said Capt. Edward Winski, commanding officer of the 1st Precinct.
Winski decided to launch the team after a man was killed last month near the SoHo club Greenhouse and three people were shot last weekend near the South Street Seaport.
The nightlife unit will visit every bar and club in the precinct to make sure the owners understand how to keep their establishment safe and to encourage them to call the precinct if a situation gets out of hand.
Winski announced the plan Tuesday night at a meeting of Community Board 1’s Crime Taskforce.
Despite the recent incidents, Winski reassured local residents that crime is still down in the precinct compared to last year.
“They’re isolated incidents,” Winski said. “There’s no pattern to them. They’re disputes that turned violent.”
Winski also agreed to attend a meeting of Seaport bar and restaurant owners to advise them on how to handle partying crowds before they get out of control.
John Fratta, chairman of the board's Crime Taskforce, said he thought the NYPD should assign more officers to the 1st Precinct, which covers the area below Houston Street on the west side up to Broadway, and below Chambers Street on the east side.
Winski replied that the 1st Precinct’s 210 officers make it one of the best staffed in the area. The 5th, 7th and 9th precincts, which cover other parts of lower Manhattan, have fewer officers and higher residential populations, Winski said.
