Crime on the rise

Wakefield Area News

By Mary V. Lauro

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- There is no doubt that crime is on the rise throughout the City. 

From January 1, 2012 to June 31, 2012, crime throughout the City rose 4.31 percent. In the Bronx it rose 2.67 percent. But don't let those figures fool you. They are averages. Some areas have seen more of a rise than other areas. For example, the 47th Precinct saw a rise of 6.44 percent. That means that so far this year, it is not the contender for the most crime ridden. To date, Comp Stat figures show it at 959 felony crimes running fourth behind the 43rd, 44th and 52nd Precincts.

By the same token, all areas of the 47th Precinct do not have the same crime rate. Of the 11 sections into which the 47th is broken, the safest and least crime ridden is the Woodlawn community which has only three percent of the crime. Compare that with our own Wakefield which has 13 percent, making it the second highest crime section in the 47th. Keep in mind that if crime were equally spread throughout the precinct, all sections would have 9 percent of the crime

With sarcasm we note that so far, we have lost our title to the highest number of homicides. That distinction goes to the 48th which had 8. The 47th had 7. We were, however, the highest in rapes at 19. The 46th trailed us at 16. The 43rd beat us at robbery. It had 255. We had 230. In felonious assault the 43rd also beat us at 248, but we were close behind at 236. But in burglary, we beat them all at 511.We also get the title for the most auto thefts at 111.

The largest drop in crime was achieved by the 40th Precinct which fell by 10.12 percent. The 45th also did well at a drop of 6.61 percent. By contrast, the 47th went up by 6.44 percent.

We never cease to wonder at the 50th Precinct which always has the lowest crime rate, but continues to fall. The 50th includes Riverdale which, as everyone knows, is not a poverty area. One wonders whether its success ties in an overabundance of police presence in its streets. We suggest strolling through Riverdale noting how many patrol cars one meets. Then stroll through Wakefield to note the same thing. But don't hold your breath.

The NYPD loves to include in its Comp Stat figures changes that have occurred 2 years ago as well as 11 and 19 years ago. No matter how much crime rises, it insists that we look at how much more improved crime rates are from the height of the crime wave back in 1993. That is silly. That crime rate was the result of foolishness on the part of the NYPD. We expect it to be more efficient than it was then.

We note however statistics for the 2-year difference which add proof to the increase in crime throughout the City. These past two years the City rose in crime by 4.31 percent, the Bronx by 1.98 percent. Note the, rise in the 47th Precinct was substantially higher at 9.23 percent!

All of this is not to be construed as a criticism of the officers or commanders in our 47th Precinct. We can only praise them for the job they do with their limited resources. It is to be construed as an indictment of the manner by which the NYPD assigns officers. Last April we were overjoyed that Commissioner Kelly sent 43 officers to the 47th which it sorely needed. Less than a month later, 25 were removed!

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STAY COOL, SAVE ENERGY

NEW YORK, June 6 – Another burst of hot weather looms this weekend, and Con Edison is reminding customers about the best ways to stay cool and save money while doing it.

Saving on your electric bill is easy if you follow Con Edison’s energy-saving tips:

• Turn off air conditioners, lights, and other appliances before leaving home. Use a timer to have your air conditioner turn on shortly before you are scheduled to arrive home; 

• Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the machines will run at peak efficiency;

• Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6 percent;

• If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block vents in unused or vacant rooms;

• To reduce heat and moisture in your apartment or home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, or barbecue outside, if possible;

• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home, and,

• Try using fans instead of air conditioners, but be sure to leave your windows open for ventilation. Fans use as little as one-tenth the energy as air conditioners.

Con Edison also urges customers with central air conditioning to accept the company’s offer of a free programmable thermostat for homeowners, religious institutions and small businesses. The thermostat can be programmed manually or from the internet. To learn more, call 1-866-521-8600 or visit www.coned.com/cool. 

The company also reminds customers that $25 rebates are available for customers who invest in cost-cutting Energy Star-rated room air conditioners.  Applications for the $25 rebate can be downloaded at www.coned.com/roomacrebates.

Con Edison has invested $1.2 billion for system improvements this year, including $928 million for cables, transformers, and network protectors, $34 million for transmission upgrades, and $208 million on new substation installations and related equipment. (See http://www.coned.com/summerprep for details.)

Despite that, sustained hot weather sometimes triggers service problems or power interruptions. If that occurs, customers can report them, and also view any service restoration information, either online at www.conEd.com, on their cell phones, or on their PDAs.  Customers also may call Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). 

When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power. Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

Energy-savings tips are also available on Facebook at Power of Green, on Twitter @ConEdSara and by downloading the company’s Power of Green iPhone app.

Con Edison’s Green Team continues to offer a host of energy-savings programs for homes and businesses. Customers can take steps to reduce energy usage this summer with rebates and incentives now available for energy-efficient appliances and cooling systems in their homes and businesses. To learn more or enroll, go to www.coned.com/GreenTeam  or call 1-877-870-6118.

Calling All Choirs

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 5- The Pathmark Gospel choir competition is back and better than before! 

Does your church, school or community choir have what it takes to compete? All gospel singing groups are invited to audition and compete in the 12^th Annual Pathmark Gospel Competition for over $10,000 worth of prizes. 

This year the historic contest takes place on Saturday, July 21, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. Entries are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so sign your choir up quickly.

For more information or to register for the competition, please visit http://www.pathmark.com/gospel_choir.asp.

NYPD Pours Cold Water on Illegal Fireworks

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 3- The NYPD reminds all New Yorkers to celebrate the 4^th of July safely and legally this week. 

Through July 1, police have made 93 separate seizures of assorted illegal fireworks in various volume through arrests, vehicle check points and buy operations. The firecrackers, aerial displays, rockets and fireworks cakes confiscated so far fill more than 300 boxes and bags, from individual packages up to gallon trash bags.

Fifty-six individuals have been arrested for illegal fireworks and an additional 33 issued summonses. Fifty cars were found to have been transporting illegal fireworks, 12 of which were confiscated from their operators. Citizens are encouraged to call 311 to provide information about anyone using or selling illegal fireworks, and 911 to report crimes in progress.

Fireworks violations increase as the Fourth of July approaches. From Jan. 1 to July 5 last year the NYPD made 579 seizures of illegal fireworks, or an estimated 6,500 lbs – more than three tons – of assorted pyrotechnics. Confiscated fireworks are destroyed in controlled burns at the NYPD range in Rodman’s Neck, the Bronx.

Strike Heats Up

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Workers Protest Con Ed Lockout

(Photos by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 3- More than 8,500 union employees of Consolidated Edison were locked out at plants across the city, as contract negotiations broke down after a midnight deadline on June 30.

The workers, who repair and maintain the electric power grid that keeps our computers, televisions and air-conditioners running are now picketing outside plants across the city, as some 5,000 managers are now performing the emergency repairs needed to keep the power flowing.

One worker outside the Van Nest plant, that employed about 500

workers, claimed workers were fighting for maintaining their pension and medical benefits that he claimed management wanted to eliminate completely.

The worker, who would only give his first name, "Henry," continued, "They want to eliminate our benefits completely, so that's one of the sticking points."

Henry claimed that management wanted to change the federal mandate of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), allowing injured workers to be fired when the compensation runs out, explaining, "They want to fire your ass when your FMLA is over."

"It's going to be a very hot summer for the people of New York," Henry continued, "Management can't do the job that we do. They can supervise the job, but the qualified people are the people in the field and with 8,500 less people, there's no way they can handle the job."

Members of Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America claim that Con Edison CEO Craig Ivy was brought in from Virginia two-years ago after cutting benefits to union worker's in that state.

One Van Nest resident stated, "It's about time for the unions to start showing some muscle. The company is obviously making a lot of people money, let’s be honest. New York State and New York City residents pay a lot of money for something that everybody else gets for half-price or less. I don't think these guys are getting the money, but the shareholder's and the CEO are."

According to Con Edison's website, "All company personnel have been preparing for the possibility of a union work stoppage for months."

Con Edison's walk-in payment centers are now closed and normal meter readings have also been suspended for the immediate future.

Both the offices of Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo continue to monitor the situation.

Con Edison currently serves 3.2 million customers that represent

nearly 9 million people in the New York City's five boroughs and Westchester County.

Workers at Con Edison last went on strike in the summer of 1983, when the company had 16,500 workers. That strike lasted nine-weeks.

Yankee Old Timer’s Day

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

Paulie’s Back in Pinstripes: Yankee legends braved the heat and returned to the Bronx to be a part of Old Timer’s Day. 

Fireworks

(Photos by Gary Quintal) 

Independence Day came early this year as Bronxites celebrated the birth of our country. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and State Sen. Jeff Klein held the annual Salute to America fireworks event at Orchard Beach on Friday. In addition to a host of fireworks which rivals Macy’s annual event, Bronxites were treated to the sounds of Alive N Kickin’.