COBBLE HILL — Thefts in Cobble Hill have dropped almost 50 percent after a community-policing program was launched in the 76th Precinct last month, the commanding officer said.
“Spot it to Secure it” involves an in-house task force of officers canvassing the neighborhood for potential crime hazards, like unattended property in cars and open doors of residential buildings, DNAinfo New York reported, last month.
“These are invites for potential thieves,” said Capt. Jeffrey Schiff, at a precinct meeting, Tuesday night.
Cobble Hill had the highest number of petty larcenies and incidents of unattended property last year, said Schiff, leading officers to focus on the neighborhood.
Larcenies dropped by 47 percent for the month in Cobble Hill, said Schiff. The neighborhood had nine larcenies in April, down from 17 in the previous period.
Officers of the 76th Precinct found dozens of examples where valuable property like wallets, electronic devices and even bicycles that had been left in parked cars.
The officers also checked doors of brownstones and apartment buildings, finding several cases where they were not locked properly or property was left in the hallway, Schiff said.
Over the month, officers have been snapping photos of the valuables and open doors and warning homeowners, tenants and car owners of potential thefts.
Schiff said he plans to move the initiative further south to Carroll Gardens in the coming months.
