Crime & Safety

With Crime Up in Sunset Park, Local Police Plan Community Meeting

Crime is up 14 percent in the NYPD's 72nd Precinct, which covers Sunset Park. Residents can seek answers as to why at an Aug. 24 meeting.

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — The two NYPD officers dedicated to a portion of Sunset Park that's seen a significant uptick in crime this year will host a community meeting on Aug. 24.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at 4520 4th Ave.

It will be led by NYPD officers Carmela Andersen and Philip Buonora. They're the cops assigned to Sector C of the 72nd Precinct (map below) as part of the NYPD's community policing model.

Find out what's happening in Sunset Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Under community policing, each precinct is divided into four areas, with a team of two officers dedicated to each. The officers make their department-issued cell phone numbers and email addresses publicly available, with the aim of getting to know — and getting to be known by — local residents.

Carmela Andersen can be reached at carmela.andersen@nypd.org or at 929-375-2344. Philip Buonora's email address is philip.buonora@nypd.org.

Find out what's happening in Sunset Parkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Sector C of the 72nd Precinct stretches between 3rd Avenue and 7th Avenue, and from Greenwood Cemetery to 55th Street:

Sector C in Precinct 72

Sector C in the NYPD's 72nd Precinct (click to enlarge). Map courtesy of the NYPD

Last month, the offers assigned to Windsor Terrace (Sector A in the precinct) held their own community meeting. They said they'd host another one in September, and one each month after that.

Overall city crime has hit historic lows, according to the NYPD. However, through July 31, it was up 14 percent in the 72nd Precinct, police statistics show. An examination of crime data conducted by Patch revealed that much of that increase took place in Sunset Park (as opposed to Windsor Terrace and South Slope, which are also patrolled by the 72nd).

Over the past month, the NYPD has declined to make precinct captain Emmanuel Gonzalez available for an interview, despite repeated requests. The department has also declined to comment on the 72nd Precinct's upward crime trend.

Top image courtesy of Giacomo Barbaro/Flickr

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