By Carol Tannenhauser
As I type, an alert flashes in the corner of my screen; police are seeking an armed robber on the UWS. Is crime escalating in the neighborhood? What are the police doing about it?
On Thursday, at 6:30 PM, via YouTube, the commanding officers of the three local precincts — the 20th, 24th and Central Park — will confront these and other questions posed by community leaders and residents — including audience members — at a forum sponsored by the UWS Coalition of Block Associations & Community Groups (UWS Coalition).
Topic: UWS Crime and Crime Prevention
Guests: Captain Neil W. Zuber, NYPD 20th Precinct; Deputy Inspector Naoki Yaguchi, NYPD 24th Precinct; and Deputy Inspector William J. Gallagher, Central Park Precinct
Date & Time: Thursday, May 19, 2022, 6:30 PM
Submit Questions: If you’d like to share questions in advance of the meeting, please submit them here. NOTE: the UWS Coalition will make every effort to address as many questions as time permits.
YouTube Link: Click here to watch the YouTube live stream (advance registration not required)
Why ask questions when no help is ever provided? The Upper West Side is so rife with aggressive homeless and mentally ill, I regularly go to the Upper East Side for a sense of normalcy.
All true but know if the police could DO something BY LAW, they would. When will people finally GET IT? It is our City Council, NY State Assembly & NY Senators THAT CAN CHANGE THE LAWS. The police have no authority to do anything about the aggressive panhandling because the laws allow it. When an ambulance comes for the mentally ill, they are let out an hour later. When will you all get it? Write your damn representatives & maybe there will finally be some improvements but no….this is the “compassionate” neighborhood that never fights another shelter coming in & also gives money to anyone asking on the street so the panhandlers COME FROM BROOKLYN to panhandle just to make money. Ask about THAT and our police CO’s will tell you. This neighborhood is completely being taken advantage of and ruined because of the laws and the lack of fight by the community.
Agree with every word you have written. This is the truth about what living here has become for all of us law-abiding tax-paying citizens.
Very well put. For future elections for local officials, ask tough questions about quality of life issues. Don’t settle for lame answers.
WSR does a very good job of covering these elections and hopefully they will be an advocate for us and focus on these issues which are clearly a major concern to many of us.
Our “compassionate” neighbors have been the squeaky wheels getting the grease for so many years. Let’s have the rest of us speak up and make our voices heard.
Kudos to NYPD for doing the best they can in difficult circumstances.
You are absolutely correct.
We need more cops and more cameras on UWS and Morningside.
Please make sure this event is captioned so everyone with hearing loss will have access. Thank you.
Is there anything preventing the police from removing the motorcycles and their drivers from the pedestrian pathways in Riverside Park? I am pretty sure they are breaking the law. In any case they are endangering pedestrians and bicyclists who go to the park for peaceful walks and exercise. I have had to dodge two motorcycles this week alone.
I had the same situation in both Riverside and Central Park bike lane. I’m not sure those were full-fledged motorcycles, they looked something a heavy scooter or a light motorcycle. Both drivers had balaklavas on, we’re riding at hide speed and yelled at the scared pedestrians.
A similar rider, going on the opposite lane) almost clashed with my 12-year old riding a bicycle near Chelsea Piers.
NYPD employs over 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilians. They have a budget of $11B, half of which is to pay for pensions (officers typically retire after 20 yrs and receive $86K annually for the rest of their lives). If we cannot prevent crime despite having an army-sized budget and force, perhaps more police is not the answer.
You may not understand it but the police arrests most criminals. Their near immediate release through a revolving door sponsored by Albany is what allows crime rates to remain high amid growing recidivism. The sense of impunity emboldens criminals. Read the second comment in the thread above, from Frustrated UWSer
Agreed! We clearly need better systems in place to handle these issues.
Thank you WSR for censoring my earlier comment citing local politicians names. It is only by voting the incumbents out that we MAY have a chance to see policy changes in Albany. Not sure that’s what this website wants, though