Interactive Journalism I

Kensington residents question police coverage

Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by andrea.swalec in Sandeep Junnarkar, Uncategorized, Urban

After a murder Sunday morning in Kensington, Brooklyn, residents are asking whether a stronger police presence in the neighborhood could have prevented the crime from happening there.

A 19-year-old Hispanic male died after being shot in the head on Clara Street between Dahill Road and Chester Street, police said. The suspect is male, Hispanic and approximately 5 feet 2 inches tall. The NYPD’s Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information (DCPI) would not release any additional information as of this morning.

At a meeting of the Kensington Area Resident/Merchant Alliance (KARMABrooklyn) on Tuesday night, locals said they rarely see police officers patrolling the area.

“You don’t see cops out of their cars,” resident Alan Braverman, 63, said. “They just ride around.”

Residents also reported having trouble having the 66th Precinct pick up their phone calls. In August, a New York Daily News investigation found the 66th Precinct to be the most difficult precinct in the city to reach by phone.

In five days of requests, neither the 66th Precinct nor DCPI were available for comment.

This is the 66th Precinct’s sixth murder this year. Three murders had taken place by this time last year, police data shows.

Overall crime in the 66th Precinct is down nearly 3 percent since this time last year. Between 2001 and 2008, overall crime dropped nearly 26 percent.

How often do you see police officers in Kensington? Have you been satisfied with the 66th Precinct’s response to your requests?

Tags: Brooklyn, Clara Street, crime, Kensington, murder, Police