COBBLE HILL — Burglaries are down in the precinct that covers Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook after the area faced a spike in incidents over the summer.
The 76th Precinct saw 11 incidents in a 28-day period ending Oct. 4 — a 15.4 percent drop when compared to the previous four weeks, according to the most recent NYPD data.
The neighborhoods faced a string of burglaries in August, with at least eight taking place in the first week of the month.
Between Aug. 3 and Aug. 30, the precinct was hit with 25 burglaries, NYPD records show, including an incident in which roughly $20,000 in irreplaceable family jewelry was stolen from a Carroll Gardens bride just weeks before her wedding.
But the number of reported burglary incidents dropped in the weeks that followed, according to Capt. Elliot Colon, commanding officer of the 76th Precinct. Records show that between Aug. 31 and Sept. 27, the precinct saw just 12 burglaries.
"We're heading in the right direction. [We] plan to keep it that way," he said Tuesday night at a community council meeting for the precinct, which also covers Boerum Hill and the Columbia Street Waterfront District.
Year-to-date burglaries are still up, with 113 incidents between Jan. 1 and Oct. 4 as compared to 75 in the same period last year.
Overall crime in the 76th Precinct has dropped about 2 percent for the year and roughly 21 percent in the past four weeks when compared to the same periods in 2014, said Colon, who took the helm at the precinct earlier this year.
Police said the drop follows the Sept. 23 arrest of Jose Quinones on charges he stole an expensive bicycle in Cobble Hill just days earlier, officials said.
Quinones was caught on video camera stealing an unlocked bicycle — valued at more than $1,000 — from the hallway of a residential building near Court and Warren streets on Sept. 18, according to a criminal complaint from the Brooklyn DA's office.
Colon stressed the importance of installing high-quality security cameras in homes, adding that the video was what enabled police to crack the case.
Quinones was charged with burglary, grand larceny, possession of stolen property, criminal trespass, petit larceny, and trespass, according to court records.
While it was not immediately known whether he played a role in earlier burglaries, Colon said they have not had an incident since his arrest.
Quinones' next appearance in court is Oct. 21. His attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment.
