INWOOD — Inwood may soon have an extra set of eyes on the streets as a residents plan a new neighborhood foot patrol system amid a recent spike in crime.
Voicing concerns, a group of locals met Thursday to discuss the formation of a Civilian Observation Patrol (COP) that would work in tandem with the NYPD and elected officials.
The move comes in the wake of a rash of muggings and violent crime as well as fears from residents about petty crime.
In the past two weeks alone, an Inwood family averted a mugging in Isham Park by a group of teens who used what appeared to be a fake gun. Days later, a man injured his leg when a group of teens mugged him for his wallet and iPhone in the same park.
And in Fort Tryon Park, a man broke his hip after falling off a cliff when he tried to outrun two men he thought were trying to mug him.
Crime in the 34th Precinct, which covers both Inwood and Washington Heights, is up 7.26 percent this year through Dec. 11 compared to last year at the same, according to the NYPD. Over the summer, it was up nearly 23 percent over the year before.
That climb in crime resulted in the replacement of commanding officer Deputy Inspector Jose Navarro with Deputy Inspector Barry Buzzetti in August and a push for a dedicated Inwood police precinct.
Edwin Alvarez, a former Marine who works for the Children’s Aid Society in Inwood, said he wanted to volunteer after seeing a spike in crime near his workplace.
“We need to get our kids back,” he said, adding that as a father of a 3-year-old he feels a new sense of awareness about the importance of a safe and cohesive community. “Too much is happening and not enough is getting done.”
The Inwood Safety Patrol, a previous effort to create a civilian patrol, petered out earlier this year after several faltering attempts in response to crime spurts throughout Inwood. According to sources, Inwood has a history of civilian patrols, including the first Inwood Safety Patrol, which operated during the early 2000s and the Seaman North Block Association during the 1970s and 1980s.
Members of COP would likely operate in a similar fashion, donning matching jackets while patrolling the streets.
The main goal is consistency and power in numbers, said several members.
“If we have an ongoing presence that people recognize, it might stop some people from standing on that corner who are up to no good,” Martin Collins, an Inwood resident and City Councilman Robert Jackson’s assistant legislative and budget director.
State Sen. Adriano Espaillat and the 34th Precinct Council organized Thursday’s informal meeting in hopes of best organizing the volunteer effort.
"The hope is that with some organization on our part, there can be a thoughtful effort for people's participation," said Espaillat community liaison Elizabeth Lorris Ritter. "Otherwise people just complain amongst themselves and that's not a way to fight crime."
The group plans to officially meet with representatives of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau in January. Members would receive training and undergo a background check through the NYPD before beginning patrols.
Although still in its planning stages, group consensus maintained that the patrol should start out small and manageable with a focus on volunteers patrolling the street where they live.
“I don’t want to be too ambitious, if we do it’s going to fail,” said Inwood resident Patrick Egantine. “You know your neighborhood and you’re going to be able to report something that looks out of place quickly.”
Next month’s meeting will be announced shortly after the new year. Those interested in attending or learning more about the effort can call Sen. Espaillat’s office at 212-544-0173.
