Brooklyn Heights

More cops may be headed to Brooklyn’s 84th Precinct

July 1, 2015 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle
NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton. AP Photo/Seth Wenig
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Mayor Bill de Blasio recently agreed to add 1,300 new cops to the city’s payroll – and some of them may be headed to Brooklyn’s 84th Precinct.

In a letter to Brooklyn officials, NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton left the door wide open to adding more officers to the streets of Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park.

While the crime rate is down in many categories under 84th Precinct Captain Sergio Centa, officials say, the area has undergone explosive growth.

Bratton was responding to a letter was signed by state Sen. Daniel Squadron, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, Borough President Eric Adams, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and Councilmember Stephen Levin.

“In addition to the influx of commercial and residential populations, the success of Brooklyn Bridge Park has meant significant increases in foot traffic throughout the precinct,” the officials wrote. “The park estimates summer averages of 119,000 weekend visitors, and weekday averages of 24,539, based on last year’s numbers.”

After a violent incident at the park on April 15, where two shots were fired on Pier 2, Capt. Centa requested more police officers for the area. At a Community Council meeting in May, however, he expressed doubt that he would get additional officers as soon as he hoped.

Bratton told officials that the NYPD assigned personnel “in a fair and objective manner based on a number of criteria.”

Besides the number of reported crimes, Bratton said, “The number of calls for police service and the size of the resident population, for instance, are among the many other factors included in these calculations.”

“It’s great we have continued cooperation with the NYPD,” Sen. Squadron said on Monday. “The areas covered by the 84th have undergone significant residential, recreational, and commercial growth, and the force level here should reflect that.”

At a press conference on Wednesday, Bratton said that he was very pleased with the results of the budgetary process. “ . . . the 1,297 additional officers, the 415 civilianized positions that we will be implementing, coupled with the funding for technology, for capital improvements. I can safely say I think this is probably one of the best budgets that this police department has ever had.”

Chief of Department James O’Neill said that 822 newly minted cops would be graduating Thursday, joining the class that graduated in December.

“And they will be sent to all precincts, PSAs, and transit districts. So, everybody across New York City is going to be seeing some new police officers,” he said. “So the smaller precincts around the city will probably see – between both classes – an increase of 12 to 15 people. And the larger precincts will be getting anywhere up to 30 to 35 people.”

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