At last night’s 66th Precinct Community Council meeting, Deputy Inspector Michael Deddo Jr. announced that robberies had dropped 17% since the Council’s last meeting in April—when he took command—and burglary was down 43%. Nonetheless, he pointed out, that represents 16 people whose homes were burglarized. Kensington led the precinct in crime reduction last month, with a drop of 34%.
An ongoing problem, he said, is grand larceny—credit card or identity theft—where stats are up. The Cop of the Month, Officer Anthony Carreira, captured two perpetrators of identity theft who were able to cash a check for $4,500 using phony identification. This was Officer Carreira’s fourth Cop of the Month award.
Deputy Inspector Deddo introduced 13 florists who work within the precinct's boundaries. They had asked for the precinct’s help in curtailing the blossoming of illegal street flower vendors, and he had invited them to present their case at the meeting. The illegal vendors, the florists’ spokesperson said, cannot do arrangements, don't handle weddings or bar mitzvahs, and don’t pay taxes.
The traffic jams on Coney Island Avenue were on his mind. The precinct conducted two operations there and expects to send out more.
When asked if the Community Council could sometimes meet in Kensington, he explained that the meeting doesn't rotate and that the current location is central. He said that if there is a neighborhood association in Kensington, he would be willing to speak there.
When asked if the Community Council could sometimes meet in Kensington, he explained that the meeting doesn't rotate and that the current location is central. He said that if there is a neighborhood association in Kensington, he would be willing to speak there.