Residents Urge More Patrols, Express Concern Over Homeless Shelter

In the wake of a January 1st sexual assault on Maspeth Avenue, the 90th and 94th police precincts held a joint public safety meeting to address community concerns. At the January 18th meeting, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents urged police to increase patrols in problematic areas, and voiced concerns about alleged criminal activity around the Skillman Avenue homeless shelter.

“We need more vision of police passing the area,” said Guido Cianciotta, who lives in close proximity to the New Year’s Day attack. “Old people are afraid to walk the streets. Give us more police in that area so we can protect our community.”

The police discussed the Maspeth Avenue incident, in which a perpetrator lurked in an open garage, attacked a female victim, and forced her to perform oral sex. The investigation into this incident is ongoing, and a $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

Shaken by this incident and by a violent robbery on nearby Withers Street the same night, residents are calling for an increased police presence east of Graham Avenue and north of Metropolitan Avenue. “One rape should be enough to get something done,” said a Williamsburg resident who preferred to remain anonymous.

The police believe the sexual assault was an isolated incident. Deputy Inspector Terence Hurson of the 94th precinct said three rapes were reported in his precinct last year. He said 2011 was one of the precinct’s best, despite the NYPD’s shrinking resources over the past decade. Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper reported similar improvements in his 90th precinct, where 8 fewer crimes occurred in 2011 than 2010.

Despite this progress, Hurson said he would allocate resources to areas of concern. “Every few days, I evaluate where I send my cops,” he said. “I give them spots where they do directed patrols to show their presence, and we’ll add some of these locations to those. We’ll increase the presence and hopefully tackle these problems.”

The homeless shelter at 300 Skillman Avenue, which houses a number of registered sex offenders, was a key issue at the meeting. A Williamsburg resident who wished to remain anonymous described passing the shelter each day and witnessing men loitering, drug sales, and public defecation. He said the shelter stands a few blocks from schools and across the street from a playground and proposed that the police heighten patrols near the shelter or install surveillance cameras nearby.

Cianciotta’s wife, Tish, stressed the need to cooperate with the shelter until it ceases to threaten community safety. “We had problems there many, many years ago because of the overabundance of homeless men,” she said. “We have to ask the director of that shelter to attend these meetings and be part of this task force.”

The meeting also gave the NYPD a forum to promote safer habits and stress the need for open communication between citizens and the police. “A meeting like this—this is awesome,” Kemper said. “It allows us to hear you, and it holds us responsible. Community is our best friend. Community is an invaluable source of information.”

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