With a recent holdup at the Queens Zoo and hot rodders speeding at a Meadow Lake parking lot, crime at Flushing Meadows Park has been in the spotlight lately.
But talk to Parks Department and NYPD officials and you’d never know that Queens’ premier greenspace has been rated the worst for crime out of 30 parks throughout the city.
Since earlier this year, the NYPD has been mandated to compile quarterly crime statistics on parks over one acre. That would total about 100, but Geoffrey Croft, who heads NYC Park Advocates, a city parks watchdog group, said the police are taking too long to add the 70 additional facilities. Nevertheless:
“Flushing Meadows, Central Park and Randall’s Island Park accounted for more than 60 percent of the crimes in all the parks,” Croft said. “They are mostly grand larceny and robbery.”
Deputy Inspector Ron Leyson, commanding officer of the 110th Precinct, which has the main jurisdiction of Flushing Meadows, explained that the grand larcenies include theft of valuables left in cars, unattended purses in public spaces and from lockers at the Aquatic Center.
He noted that year-to-date overall crime is down 13 percent in Flushing Meadows, although there has been a 6 percent increase in felonies — more serious crimes — usually involving assault.
One case involved an intoxicated man who assaulted a police officer during a game at Citi Field.
According to the NYPD park statistics, Flushing Meadows had 27 crimes in three months: two robberies, four felony assaults, 15 grand larcenies and six auto thefts.
9 comments:
Where has the Queens Parks Commissioner been?
Why are we sinking so much money into Queens Theater and Queens Museum when a good portion of Queens residents can not get there easily?
Makes no sense while local cultural groups in communities reachable by green transit options like public transportation are starved for funding.
Extend the seven line to kew gardens via fmcp
FMCP needs a watchful oversight by all of us -- a community patrol that can get things done. Have any of you tried to enforce order in the park? I have, but felt outnumbered. Can we organize a group of 5-10 people who can enter the park regularly?
Was there on Columbus day; other than the continuing decay and decrepitude of the NYS pavillion, the place looks decent.
If they count the crimes at Citi Field then no wonder Flushing Meadows is no.1 on the list.
Anon No. 3:
Which accomplishes what?
The only thing the 110 exists for is ticketing.Stick that in your "performance goal" pipe and smoke it.
Naturally! Look who uses it!
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