State Senator Marty Golden. Photo by Erica Sherman
Last year, State Senator Marty Golden introduced a bill that would stiffen penalties for hit and run and drivers. The bill passed in the Senate but failed to gain traction in the Assembly. Golden and a group of other local politicians have not given up and have reintroduced the bill, according to a press release.
The bill would change the crime of a fatal hit and run from a Class D felony to a Class C felony, which ups the prison time to a maximum of 15 years. It also would eliminate a loophole, which allowed drunk drivers to escape the penalties they deserve:
Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can actually receive less of a punishment if they flee the scene of an accident. For example, in the case of a first-time offender, a driver who wrongfully flees the scene of an accident where a personal injury has occurred can only be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of only 1 year in jail. However, if the driver remains at the scene and is found to be intoxicated or impaired by drugs, he or she can be immediately charged with a Class E felony which carries a maximum penalty of four years of imprisonment. Therefore, the incentive for a drunk or impaired driver to flee the scene of a hit and run accident is greater.
Golden expressed hope that the legislation would improve safety on the roads and save lives:
I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation which has the potential to decrease the number of incidents where motorists just keep going after hitting a pedestrian. In my district and throughout the State, families have been destroyed by such a disregard for human life. I believe that there are instances where, if the driver stopped at the scene and called for help, the victim may have had a chance to survive. This legislation will make our roads safer and save lives, and this year, this bill should become law.
Above is the fourth of four videos, in which NYPD Community Affairs officers give tips to the community. In this video, officers give several crime prevention tips, including a rundown of several programs offered at all local precincts to help you protect your property.
The videos come from a recent event in which NYPD officers from the 60th Precinct, 61st Precinct, 62nd Precinct, 70th Precinct and Brooklyn South’s Community Affairs Unit converged on Tzar Restaurant (2007 Emmons Avenue), for the first ever Community Awareness Meeting organized by the Be Proud Foundation and the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District.
Last week we brought you the first two NYPD Community Affairs Unit’s safety tips videos. This is the third of four, in which the officers talk about drug use among children and teens, and how parents and educators can spot bad habits.
The videos come from a recent event in which NYPD officers from the 60th Precinct, 61st Precinct, 62nd Precinct, 70th Precinct and Brooklyn South’s Community Affairs Unit converged on Tzar Restaurant (2007 Emmons Avenue), for the first ever Community Awareness Meeting organized by the Be Proud Foundation and the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District.
Yesterday we brought you a video of NYPD Community Affairs officers providing tips to prevent cell phone theft. Today we have a video for parents on how to identify and prevent bullying, regardless of whether their child is the bullied or the bully.
The videos come from an event last Thursday in which NYPD officers from the 60th Precinct, 61st Precinct, 62nd Precinct, 70th Precinct and Brooklyn South’s Community Affairs Unit converged on Tzar Restaurant (2007 Emmons Avenue), for the first ever Community Awareness Meeting organized by the Be Proud Foundation and the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District.
NYPD officers from the 60th Precinct, 61st Precinct, 62nd Precinct, 70th Precinct and Brooklyn South’s Community Affairs Unit converged on Tzar Restaurant (2007 Emmons Avenue) last Thursday, for the first ever Community Awareness Meeting organized by the Be Proud Foundation and the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District.
The event brought together business owners and community leaders from Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach with the police officers, allowing them to express gratitude and discuss local issues one-on-one.
“I strongly believe the NYPD cannot do its job without us, without the community. And the community cannot function without the NYPD,” said Be Proud Executive Director Raisa Chernina.
Brooklyn South’s Community Affairs Unit produced four presentations for the event, providing tips about cell phone safety, bullying, drugs and general crime prevention.
Above is the video on cell phone safety, one the leading crimes across New York City, and the primary factors comprising the sharp rise in robbery rates over the last two years.
Each of the three remaining presentations will be published on Sheepshead Bites once a day this week.
The Be Proud Foundation, working in conjunction with the Brighton Beach Business Improvement District (BID) will hold a “Community Awareness Meeting,” May 24 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Tzar Restaurant, 2007 Emmons Avenue.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers from 1 Police Plaza; the 60th, 61st, 62nd and 70th Police Precincts, as well as the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau Immigrant Outreach Unit and NYPD Crime Prevention and Community Affairs program will answer sensitive questions from members of the community and representatives from businesses.
According to Raisa Chernina, president and founder of the Be Proud Foundation, “It is very important that every resident of our area have a close contact and mutual trust with police representatives. I also believe that our first ever Community Meeting will lead to building an effective communication bridge between community and NYPD.”
Light refreshments will be served and space is extremely limited — you must RSVP by to Sam Khalitov by calling (718) 788-7773.
In the wake of last week’s shooting of four ESU police officers on Nostrand Avenue, local leaders – including elected officials and their representatives – preempted last night’s monthly report from the NYPD 61st Precinct’s Deputy Inspector Georgios Mastrokostas, expressing appreciation for the dangerous work the police do to keep our streets safe.
Among those who expressed their support – and a speedy recovery to the officers – was City Councilman Lew Fidler and representatives from the offices of Councilman Domenic Recchia, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz, State Senator Marty Golden, Comptroller John Liu, the Gerritsen Beach Property Owners Association, Bay Improvement Group and Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association.
In other crime, Mastrokostas noted that robberies are up for the last 28-day period, including several purse snatches. There have been eight arrests – and the precinct is up in robbery arrests for the year, up to 44 arrests from 17 last year.
A SIG Sauer P220 45 ACP semiautomatic handgun. Source: kcdsTM / Flickr
BETWEEN THE LINES: After the January 2011 Arizona shooting spree when six were killed, including a 9-year-old girl, and more than a dozen injured, most notably U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, gun violence in America again became the focus of debate for several weeks.
Despite the predictable healthy dose of rhetoric in the aftermath of such tragedies, no remedies have ever resulted, nor has a damn thing ever been done, to change gun laws.
The relentless argument about whether or not our society has too many guns — it’s estimated there’s at least one firearm for every American — seems to be reflected in several news stories that have hogged headlines nationwide so far this year.
BETWEEN THE LINES: With technology continuing to progress at a steady clip, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies regularly alert the public about a parallel surge of electronic crimes related to computers, handheld gadgets and the internet, such as identity theft and phishing (fishing for personal information via suspicious emails).
In recent years, the number of identity theft incidents, due to the annual increase in E-filing of tax returns, has jumped during tax season and has reached new levels in 2012. Last year, the IRS reported more than 260,000 suspicious returns totaling more than $1.4 billion, which was discovered before it reached the wrong taxpayers. This year, so far, two million returns have been flagged for investigation.
In a nationwide crackdown, the IRS stepped up suspected identity thefts as the tax season began in January and said it investigated more than 100 people in 23 states.
Even so, the crime persists. Regrettably, I found out first-hand.
With a crime-fueled 2011 in the rear view mirror, the leader of the 61st Precinct suggested much of the year’s crime was a statistical anomaly, but authorities are gaining ground where they can.
Deputy Inspector Georgios Mastrokostas provided a year-end review for members of the 61st Precinct Community Council last night, giving context to the nearly eight percent surge in major crimes in a precinct that previously led the city in crime reduction.
