They Might Be “All Out” But Violence In The City Is The “In” Thing!

Every time a call comes in over the police scanner for “shots fired,” the Canarsie Courier crew goes into a frenzy. Did anyone get shot – and if so, are they alive? What house were they shot in front of? What are all those helicopters doing in the sky and what does the armed suspect – or suspects - look like? What kind of car did they get away in? Are the cops going to tell us ANYTHING this time when we get to the crime scene?

Within the last week, there were several calls of “shots fired” – a couple resulting in serious injuries and another resulting in a Breukelen Houses resident's death after he was shot execution style. I ran to the scene of one shooting where shell casings scattered the southern end of East 82nd Street – where two cars had their windows blown out in broad daylight. I know that the NYPD is putting more police officers in high crime areas – but their “Summer All Out Initiative” doesn't seem to be helping us YET and it's not even officially summertime!

Line 'em up and send 'em out!

Hours and days after a shooting, police officers sometimes station themselves on the block or near a home where the violence took place – thinking they'll see someone who fits the description of the gunman. I can't help but think – too late now!

There will never be enough police officers on the force to thwart shootings – especially those which take place in a building or home where officers aren't patrolling – and many which are in decent neighborhoods where you wouldn’t suspect shootings will take place.

 When I heard that someone accidentally opened gunfire in the Waldorf Astoria in the city Saturday night – just as a wedding was about to begin – I couldn't help but wonder if this would have happened if cops were present. Cops at a wedding? This area is NOT part of the NYPD’s initiative, but why would we need to go to those extremes? The Waldorf Astoria – a prestigious location for the most elegant of events – the scene of a shooting where a woman was grazed by a bullet? The NYPD might be “All Out” but the maniac, who felt the need to bring a gun to a wedding,  was INSIDE!

When the media reported that a rival gang member opened fire at a Flatbush funeral home – yes, a FUNERAL, where you pay respects to the deceased – in April, killing three people due to an “unsettled dispute,” was the NYPD prepared for more incidents like these? They could be stationed all over those streets and we'd still have the same front-page story, which read “Funeral Massacre.”

“Summer All Out” has all the right components – it places over 300 extra police officers in areas such as East New York, East Flatbush, Brownsville and Williamsburg – where the most murders and shootings occur. While the detectives in each precinct are 'on the case' trying to solve all of the shootings and find the 'perps,' police officers are on routine patrol – whether it's on foot or in their cruiser.

However, you can put as many officers on the streets as you want – no one will be prepared for the sporadic hail of bullets that fly across the street or inside of what's supposed to be a “safe” building when cops aren't around.

It’s also obvious the city’s club scenes aren’t patrolled all that well. Cops were unable to prevent the shooting that took place at an establishment called D Avenue early Monday morning in the Flatbush community.

Let’s get real – it seems like there’s been even MORE shootings since the “Summer All Out” initiative began! We’re not just talking about a spike in crime – we’re talking a non-stop shooting marathon. At the very same time police officers with the 69th Precinct were investigating the shots fired at East 82nd Street last week, a man in the neighboring 63rd Precinct was shot near Avenue I and East 56th Street.

When will deploying more officers finally pay off?

Everyone says they're sick of the violence – but obviously, the gun-wielding thugs aren't! What does Police Commissioner Bratton have to do to make us feel safer? Maybe he should work with the U.S. Army and place guards and military personnel all over the city...Maybe we should have combat vehicles patrolling, helicopters flying overhead once an hour…

The cost of keeping our city safe is beyond imaginable, but I strongly believe that no measures will curtail the violence that we’re now facing.

How can the NYPD step up its efforts and how can residents feel safer in their communities? With each passing day, it seems these are rhetorical questions that won’t be answered by the end of the summer.