On Tuesday evening, June 27, community members gathered at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills to meet with representatives from the 107 Precinct as well as with a representative from Shmira.
The goal of the meeting was for officers assigned to our community to learn about the neighborhood and its challenges and needs, and how they can work together to help keep our community safe.
Rabbi Stuart Verstandig, President of the Young Israel, welcomed everyone.
Officer Anthony Schmitt first addressed the biggest issues in our community and surrounding areas, which include grand larceny, specifically focused on Hondas. Criminals are pulling off the door handles of Hondas and stealing steering wheels or airbags, and/or tire rims. He cautioned, “Do not leave any valuables in your car. Lock it up. People sometimes leave cell phones or keys to their spouse’s car, and this is a huge mistake. They steal the keys and then they try the keys on other vehicles until they find the other car to steal.
If a criminal notices something in the window, he may break the window in order to steal it.
The second big condition is burglaries. “Lock your doors and windows and procure a security camera system. Keep your house locked up even if you are only leaving for a short time.
A third issue is derelict vehicles that are parked in the community. The precinct is working on getting rid of them. There are also illegally parked RVs and trucks.
One problem is that truck drivers prefer getting a ticket for illegal parking as the price is less than that of parking their truck legally overnight.
Officer Matthew Kirby then spoke about another issue. There is a man who is homeless who has been staying at the Haym Salomon Square, on Vleigh Place, between 72nd Road and 72nd Drive. He has a baby carriage and boxes. If you see him, you should call the precinct. They will move him to a shelter or the hospital.
Another issue is robberies at the 7-Eleven store on Main Street and Jewel Avenue. The proprietors were told not to lock the doors because customers get stuck in this situation. They were told instead to get a description of the robber.
The officers then opened up for questions. A resident who lives near Seasons Supermarket complained that there are cars blocking her driveway.
The officer advised her to call 311. That will get her the fastest response.
Another resident complained about drag racing cars that speed by. The officer said you can call the police. Try to obtain the license plate number.
Someone else spoke about extremely loud music blaring late at night. Officer Schmitt said that the best thing to do in that situation is to call 311. He explained that there are only three patrol cars for our area, so they do the best they can, but they need to go to emergencies first.
Someone else asked about crime statistics in our community, and Officer Schmitt related that that can be found on the NYPD website.
Next, the Queens coordinator of Shmira, Avraham Pinkhasov, addressed the gathering. He shared that Shmira works with the 107 Precinct, and they have a very good relationship. Shmira was established in 2015, in response to multiple arson fires in Forest Hills and several incidents of stolen car rims in Kew Gardens Hills. “We felt a need to assist local police by offering an extra set of eyes and ears in our neighborhood.” It is a volunteer organization. Two organizations merged in December 2015, so QBSP-Shmira in Queens joined CWSP-Shmira in Brooklyn.
Shmira has helped with multiple missing-persons searches, all with successful outcomes, baruch Hashem. They serve as security at community events like a hachnasas sefer Torah, Chazaq and Chabad functions, and many other major Jewish events and occasions. Every member puts in four hours a week for neighborhood patrol. Their accomplishments have been recognized by the NYPD, local legislators, and other officials.
They patrol six nights per week, from sunset to early morning. “We try to connect the community with the officers.”
He explained that meetings like this one help Shmira and our local police officers gain awareness of what needs to be done.
The Shmira hotline number is 718-329-4444.
The community thanks the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills for hosting this program and especially thanks the officers of the 107 Precinct and Shmira who, with Hashem’s help, are keeping our community safe.
By Susie Garber