NYPD reports nine new officers; community raises concerns about abandoned vehicles, street racing and loud music

Detective Hall of the NYPD told the Economic Development and Public Safety Committee that the precinct recently received nine new officers and said the additional staffing had helped neighborhood enforcement efforts.

Detective Hall said neighborhood coordination officers (NCOs) conducted operations that removed more than 30 derelict or abandoned vehicles in the command and that officers had taken enforcement action against vehicles used to sell marijuana from a bus on Van Ness and conducted an operation on East Gun Hill Road.

Residents raised multiple quality-of-life concerns during the meeting, including late-night street racing, revving cars that disturb sleep, loud music emanating from events near commercial corridors and vandalism of the Peace Plaza monument. Several residents said the noisy activity often occurs in the early morning hours.

Detective Hall urged residents to record incidents and provide license-plate numbers or video evidence to officers. "If you're seeing that occur, please record it," she said, adding that callers should continue to use 911 so officers can respond to ongoing incidents and NCOs can focus enforcement where patterns emerge.

On abandoned vehicles and derelict trucks, Detective Hall said precinct staff recently coordinated operations that removed more than 30 vehicles and that additional steps are planned to address truck parking on Williamsbridge Road near St. Catherine's. She said the precinct faces challenges in keeping vehicles from being returned because of district attorney procedures related to seizures.

Committee members asked about a city pilot program described as a quality-of-life initiative; Detective Hall said the program is in pilot form in other precincts and that the 49th Precinct may be considered later. She said the initiative would combine NCOs, youth officers and traffic officers into joint operations, but she did not have final details on implementation.

A member of the public also reported vandalism to the monument at Peace Plaza shortly before Memorial Day; committee members said they would seek clarity on whether the response is handled by police, parks or another agency.

Detective Hall closed by reiterating the precinct's request for community reports and documentation and by thanking residents for their continued engagement with command staff.

Formal actions: none taken at the committee level.