Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Urchins are Out

School's out for summer. Not officially, yet, but in effect. Just because the kids are 12 years old (give or take a few years) doesn't mean they should get away with assault and vandalism.

Tuesday afternoon a large group of tween/teen boys were throwing glass bottles around the park and onto the sidewalks around the park (both in and out of the actual park). They also assaulted at least one young man - four on one and against the fence.

In one case, the glass bottles they through down onto the 44th Street sidewalk (from the park) landed on and around a family walking up the hill. I'm sure some people will disagree that 911 should be called, but I don't. Especially considering the damage a flying glass bottle can do.

from the FAQ on the nyc.gov website:

When should you call 911?

When there is an emergency, lives are in danger, serious injury, serious medical condition, crime in progress, or any other situation needing immediate attention.

What should you do if you see a crime occurring?

  • Call 911 immediately.
  • Be observant and make mental notes.
  • Are there any weapons involved?
  • What is the address?
  • Any physical characteristics such as height, weight, race, beard, or scars?
  • Any clothing description?
  • How many people involved?
  • Are the persons involved on foot or in a vehicle?
Do I have to give my name when I call 911?

If you wish to remain anonymous or keep information confidential just tell the operator.

If you don't want to call 911, try one of these numbers for the 72nd Precinct:

Precinct: (718) 965-6311
Community Affairs: (718) 965-6326
Community Policing: (718) 965-6350
Crime Prevention: (718) 965-6354
Domestic Violence: (718) 965-6363
Youth Officer: (718) 965-6301
Auxiliary Coordinator: (718) 965-6323
Detective Squad: (718) 965-6336

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not so crazy, 311 ops often forward even small issues to 911. It's not that they're lazy though, it's the regs they operate under. If you ever are given a choice, try sticking with the 311 folks. They tend to be a lot more intelligent and dilligent about their work. After a few transferred calls to 911 I dreaded the day when I would need them in a real emergency.

Anonymous said...

When you get to 911, you run up against operators trained to respond to all sorts of horrible events.

An assault is pretty minor for them so it doesn't merit their full attention.

Compare it to a hospital where people are dying every day while the nurses are gossiping among themselves.

BestViewInBrooklyn said...

Anonymous, that had always been my thinking before attending Community Council meetings. I figured if it's not life threatening (although throwing glass bottles at children could be, I suppose) it doesn't merit a call.

The question about the gray area between 311 and 911 was asked at a CC meeting last year. I'll paraphrase the answer the former Captain's answer: suspicious persons on your block, a passed out person on the street, looking into cars, and any crime in progress or just occurred warrants a 911 call.

You can read the full post from June 11, 2008, if it interests you.