The 61st Precinct Community Council Meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the 61st Precinct stationhouse (2575 Coney Island Avenue).
The Community Council is comprised of concerned residents and top brass from the 61st Precinct, and offers neighbors an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns about crime and safety issues in the area. The monthly meetings are attended by Captain John M. Chell, the commanding officer of the precinct, who will present a report on incidents and trends in the neighborhood, and speak face-to-face with neighbors about specific concerns.
For further information, or if you have questions or comments concerning Community Affairs, call (718) 627-6847.
The 61st Precinct Community Council Meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m. today at the Homecrest Presbyterian Church (1413 Avenue T).
The Community Council is comprised of concerned residents and top brass from the 61st Precinct, and offers neighbors an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns about crime and safety issues in the area. The monthly meetings are attended by Captain John M. Chell, the commanding officer of the precinct, who will present a report on incidents and trends in the neighborhood, and speak face-to-face with neighbors about specific concerns.
For further information, or if you have questions or comments concerning Community Affairs, call (718) 627-6847.
The 61st Precinct Community Council Meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m., March 13, at the Bainbridge Center, 3093 Ocean Avenue.
The Community Council is comprised of concerned residents and top brass from the 61st Precinct, and offers neighbors an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns about crime and safety issues in the area. The monthly meetings are attended by Captain John M. Chell, the commanding officer of the precinct, who will present a report on incidents and trends in the neighborhood, and speak face-to-face with neighbors about specific concerns.
For further information, or if you have questions or comments concerning Community Affairs, call (718) 627-6847.
The 61st Precinct Community Council Meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Sephardic Community Center (1901 Ocean Parkway).
The Community Council is comprised of concerned residents and top brass from the 61st Precinct, and offers neighbors an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns about crime and safety issues in the area. The monthly meetings are attended by Captain John M. Chell, the commanding officer of the precinct, who will present a report on incidents and trends in the neighborhood, and speak face-to-face with neighbors about specific concerns.
For further information, or if you have questions or comments concerning Community Affairs, call (718) 627-6847.
Vandals broke in to at least seven cars on Hampton Avenue in Manhattan Beach last night, leaving shattered glass and debris scattered across the sidewalks.
The incidents occurred in the middle of the night, with seven cars hit on Hampton Avenue between Coleridge Street and Brighton 14th Street, reports resident Zvi G., who sent in these photos of the leftovers.
Police were seen on-scene with car owners this morning. Zvi was not a victim and could not say if any items were taken from the cars.
Car break-ins have plagued the neighborhood for some time, and remains one of the toughest challenges for the 61st Precinct according to its commander, Captain John Chell.
Chell discussed the issue at the most recent 61st Precinct Community Council meeting, reminding residents that the police will continue to do their best, but residents also need to step it up by not leaving items – no matter how small – inside the car, and especially not in open view.
“We, collectively, I think we’re all guilty. We run to the store, running late to be home, we leave our bag in the car and we make mistakes. And it kind of hurts us,” Chell said at the meeting.
Home burglaries and traffic incidents spiked in November due to Superstorm Sandy, but, overall, things are getting back to normal within the 61st Precinct’s command, Captain John Chell told members of the 61st Precinct Community Council last night.
Chell kicked off the meeting by again thanking the community for the tremendous outpouring of support from neighbors in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, saying that their efforts bolstered the police department’s effectiveness in the first few trying days after the flood water receded.
“This is our team right here. Community, elected officials, precinct council, myself,” Chell said.
But while the storm spurred on neighborliness, it also encouraged criminals. Chell noted that there was a spate in apartment burglaries in November, wherein perps were breaking in to apartments through the fire escape. Most of the incidents, he said, were confined to the southern stretch of the command, where Sheepshead Bay meets Manhattan Beach, and all along Emmons Avenue.
But Chell again pointed to his theory that one percent of individuals are responsible for 100 percent of the crime, and noted that after making two arrests for those apartment break-ins, the looting statistics tapered off.
“When you grab the right person doing the right crime and put them in jail, it’s remarkable how you can see the number, if you will, just come down,” he said. “Hopefully it stays that way.”
Traffic accidents, including an unspecified amount in which pedestrians were struck, also surged after the hurricane knocked out power to traffic lights. As service to the lights has been restored, traffic statistics are returning to normal, Chell said.
Aside from the two Sandy-related upticks, Chell noted that car break-ins continue to “plague us,” even remarking that a member of his own family had some items stolen from their vehicle recently.
“We, collectively, I think we’re all guilty. We run to the store, running late to be home, we leave our bag in the car and we make mistakes. And it kind of hurts us,” he said, reminding residents not to leave anything in their car, and to ensure their doors are always locked. The command is also circulating photos internally of known car break-in perps, which they’re hoping to use to catch the thieves in the act.
“For the most part, we have their pictures, we try to follow them and we try to catch them … and we’ve had success with that,” he said.
The 61st Precinct Community Council Meeting will meet at 7:30 p.m., December 12, at the Bainbridge Center, 3093 Ocean Avenue.
The Community Council is comprised of concerned residents and top brass from the 61st Precinct, and offers neighbors an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns about crime and safety issues in the area. The monthly meetings are attended by Captain John M. Chell, the commanding officer of the precinct, who will present a report on incidents and trends in the neighborhood, and speak face-to-face with neighbors about specific concerns.
For further information, or if you have questions or comments concerning Community Affairs, call (718) 627-6847.
The Manhattan Beach Community Group, which just celebrated its 71st anniversary, took time to honor the first responders who came to aid the Manhattan Beach community before, during and after the events of Superstorm Sandy. Over 175 people showed up for the group’s 71st annual gathering, which took place this past Wednesday at Public School 195, 131 Irwin Street.
Among those honored were Captain John Chell, commander of the 61st Precinct, who received the Dana Borell Community Service Award, for his service to the community during Superstorm Sandy. Captain Chell accepted the award on behalf of his those in his command, noting their exceptional service to the community. He also paid tribute to Cy Shoenfeld, a Manhattan Beach Community Group member and the group’s liaison to the 61st Precinct, who died during the storm.
Chaim Deutsch, founder and president of the Flatbush Safety Patrol, received the Charles S. Greene Memorial Award for his service and aid to the community. While accepting the award, Deutsch paid tribute to his fellow coordinators at the patrol.
Manhattan Beach native and NYPD Sergeant Richard Taylor, the entire local Department of Sanitation garage, and Assistant Commissioner Fred Kreizman of the Mayor’s Office, were all presented with Community Service Awards for their roles in the storm’s aftermath. State Senator Marty Golden also received a Community Service Award for his service.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was also honored with a special President’s award, and accepted the award on behalf of all elected officials helping to provide relief to the community after the storm.
A large police response has turned out for what initial reports indicate is a self-inflicted gunshot wound suffered by a retired NYPD officer at East 17th Street and Avenue Y.
Scanner reports indicate that the unidentified officer mistakenly shot himself herself in the leg. EMS has removed the victim from the scene and the Emergency Services Unit is now set up in the Petco parking lot on East 17th Street and Avenue Y. The 61st Precinct commander Captain John Chell is also on scene with community affairs, and police units from the 60th Precinct are also present.
We have no additional information at this time about the extent of the officer’s injury.
UPDATE (2:10 p.m.): The officer has been transported to Lutheran Hospital for treatment.
UPDATE (2:32 p.m.): The incident occurred shortly after 1:00 p.m. in the Petco parking lot, and two vehicles (seen above) are taped off in connection to the shooting. There is a small pool of blood near the rear driver’s side wheel of the white Volkswagon.
The victim is female, and expected to survive. The victim’s status as a police officer or retired police officer has not yet been confirmed.
Detectives are on the scene, investigating the circumstances around the firearm’s discharge. Officers are telling Petco customers to return in about an hour, when the store will reopen.
Emergency Services left the scene, and it appears the incident is wrapping up. NYPD’s press office does not yet have information about the incident.
This is a breaking news story and may contain inaccuracies. We will update it as more information becomes available. If anyone has more information or additional photos, please send them to tips (at) sheepsheadbites (dot) com.
Captain John Chell, head of the 61st Precinct, gave his first report last night to the 61st Precinct Community Council since Hurricane Sandy tore his patrol area to pieces.
The meeting was solemn and subdued, with only 13 people in attendance – far less than usual. Also tragically absent was the council’s Sergeant-at-Arms, Dr. Cy Schoenfeld, who passed away from heart failure as he attempted to escape his Manhattan Beach home during Hurricane Sandy. Schoenfeld will be fondly remembered by his peers on the council and at the Community Board, his neighbors in Manhattan Beach, and by this reporter.
With such difficult news to bare, alongside the continuing suffering of many in the community who’ve lost friends, loved ones, possessions and property, Captain Chell abandoned the usual report in which he provides crime statistics and discusses emerging trends in the neighborhood, and instead spoke of the many acts of kindness and community he has seen in Sandy’s wake.
“I appreciate all the praise that comes my as the commanding officer and the captain here, but I’m going to reverse it back to you and thank all of you,” Chell said. “It was quite remarkable, from Gerritsen Beach to Manhattan Beach, to the center to everywhere else, how the community all pitched in, and that’s what it’s really all about.”
The visibly exhausted Chell also spoke briefly about his own experience as the storm rolled in.
“In all my years of service I never witnessed what I saw that night, the sense of desperation, the sense of not being able to help everyone who needed help,” he said. “We did the best we could.”
Chell did touch on the neighborhood’s crime, specifically the opportunists who emerged after the floodwater receded, knocking on doors and trying to take advantage of victims. He reminded neighbors to be diligent, and request identification before letting anyone in your home or giving them information, and to also use common sense to avoid cons and price gouging.
In response to the storm, the precinct received approximately 100 extra officers to help patrol the neighborhood. Chell noted that the reinforcements will remain on the ground for the foreseeable future.
He also said that the city is not yet towing any abandoned cars or cars destroyed by the storm that remain curbside, though some have been “corrected” to allow traffic to pass. He said they are waiting for insurance companies to catch up on their backlog so NYPD-contracted tow trucks don’t confuse vehicles that will be towed by insurance companies with those that have been legitimately abandoned.
