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NYPD updates Queens South and North: data-driven deployments, scams targeting seniors, and vehicle-theft spikes
Summary
NYPD commanders told the Borough Cabinet that targeted, data-driven deployments and new Q teams have driven declines in several crime categories while property crimes persist: confidence scams aimed at older adults (described in the meeting as "chain-swap" or colloquially a "gypsy scam"), catalytic-converter thefts, and airbag thefts remain active problems; NYPD described enforcement, etching events and requests for community AirTag donations.
NYPD representatives for Patrol Borough Queens South and Queens North briefed the Queens Borough Cabinet on public-safety trends, saying targeted deployments and newly organized Q teams have reduced several crime categories but that organized crews continue to target vehicle components and older residents.
Assistant Chief Christopher Macintosh (Queens South) said Queens South is down roughly 2.9% year-to-date in overall crime, and reported fewer shooting victims and incidents compared with earlier periods. He emphasized prevention work and a data-driven deployment model that moves officers to critical hours and locations when particular crime types (for example, airbag and catalytic-converter thefts) spike. "Prevention is worth a pound of cure," he said, advising residents to consider steering-wheel clubs or wheel covers and noting NYPD will circulate flyers and vehicle images to community boards.
Macintosh and other officers described a type of confidence or "chain-swap" scam that targets many victims who are 65 or older. Presenters repeatedly used the local slang term "gypsy scam" during the meeting; that term is a colloquial label used in the briefing and is not a formal law-enforcement classification. NYPD said the scheme often involves an approach at a place of worship or on the street, a brief distraction (sometimes a prayer or similar interaction) and removal of jewelry.
Queens North leadership (Deputy Chief Joseph Haywood) reported similar patterns across precincts: historically low counts in some precincts but recurring problems with grand larceny auto, stolen catalytic converters and robberies that often happen at night with suspects using mopeds and scooters to flee. Haywood described joint operations with bridge commands and the use of intelligence to track recovered stolen vehicles and identify likely offenders.
Both commands described practical outreach and enforcement actions: checking junkyards and body shops for stolen parts, etching catalytic converters at community events so they can be tied to a vehicle, distributing AirTags and other deterrents at community meetings, and running midnight deployments when thefts are concentrated. Haywood said the department has confiscated hundreds of mopeds and scooters in targeted raids and conducts regular late-night enforcement focusing on quality-of-life complaints.
Community board members asked for clarification about the drivers of the overall crime decline; NYPD attributed the reduction to focused deployments against repeat violent offenders and better inter-command communication, while Q teams address low-level quality-of-life calls so other officers can focus on more serious crimes. Officials asked community groups and agencies for help (for example, donations of AirTags or wheel-club devices to distribute at meetings).
NYPD also described planned follow-ups: distribution of outreach flyers and vehicle images from Crime Prevention, periodic joint operations with other city agencies, and community etching events for catalytic converters in precinct-run locations.
The Borough President's staff thanked NYPD for the report and said borough staff would help circulate prevention materials and follow up on requests for AirTags and etching events.
