PARK SLOPE — Kids from "good families" are behind a string of recent cellphone robberies targeting tweens and teens near a popular neighborhood playground, police said Tuesday.
Police have arrested three of five teen boys they believe are responsible for as many as eight recent cellphone robberies near M.S. 51 and J.J. Byrne Playground, said 78th Precinct commanding officer Capt. Frank DiGiacomo at Tuesday night's 78th Precinct Community Council meeting.
"Most of the kids are from good families," DiGiacomo said. "They weren't coming from bad areas around the city." He added later that the suspected thieves are kids "from around the neighborhood" with "good parents" who are "doctors and lawyers."
DiGiacomo said two teen boys with a history of run-ins with the law were apparently teaching their peers how to steal cellphones. Two of the boys in the group also stole a bike that belonged to one of the other teen suspects recently, police said.
DiGiacomo described the rash of robberies as "youth-on-youth crime" carried out by a loose gang of 13 and 14-year-olds who intimidate other kids into handing over their cellphones. The victims weren't beaten up during the robberies, but one of the suspects slammed a crow bar onto the sidewalk to scare victims, he said.
The thieves sell the stolen phones for as much as $200, DiGiacomo said.
The three young suspects arrested recently probably weren't involved in the Jan. 28 mugging of a 15-year-old and 16-year-old on 14th Street and Prospect Park West, police said Tuesday. Police believe that incident is part of a separate pattern of three robberies where the suspects used a fake gun, DiGiacomo said.
Police have recovered the fake gun and are testing it for DNA to see if they can link the fake weapon to a suspect, he said.
The recent uptick in crime involving young people has parents on edge, and the audience at Tuesday's meeting included several parents from M.S. 51.
They quizzed police on crime in the neighborhood, especially near the school and nearby Washington Park and J.J. Byrne playground.
Police said the cellphone thefts were the most serious recent crimes, but noted that grand larcenies involving unattended property — for example, kids leaving their backpacks on the ground while they play nearby — are common, too.
Police have also received complaints recently about marijuana use in Washington Park, but officers didn't find any when they investigated, DiGiacomo said.
More officers will be assigned to the park in the summer months, he said.
Park Slope residents will also see more police on streets throughout the neighborhood soon, DiGiacomo said. The 78th Precinct will soon be divided into five sectors and officers will patrol those areas in cars and respond to both 911 and non-emergency complaints. The move is part of a citywide push toward more community-oriented policing, he said.
"You will see more police officers because of it," DiGiacomo said. "Officers are going to be walking into stores and saying hello to people and getting to know them."
Police used the NYPD's new smartphone system to nab the first of the teen suspects Feb. 17 on Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street, DiGiacomo said. Officers on the street received an alert on their smartphones about a cell phone robbery seconds after it was reported to 911. They quickly located the victim and he helped police track down the suspect.
DiGiacomo said the NYPD's new smartphones are an "amazing" tool that provide officers with information faster than the traditional radio dispatch system.
Major crimes such as robbery, rape, burglary and grand larceny increased slightly in the 78th Precinct in 2015 compared to 2014, according to NYPD statistics. The precinct saw 968 major crimes in 2015 and 954 major crimes in 2014.
