Analysis of a week in downtown Brooklyn Crime

Here's a synopsis of the crimes that took place this past week (8/31 - 9/4):

Credit card theft of $350 at Macy's

Wallet theft from a YMCA locker

Two laptops from a business

Camera equipment worth $3,250 from a business

Blackberry from a woman on a bus - (struggle between perp and victim)*

Cash and jewelry totaling $1,525 from a man on the street - (thief had a razor blade in his mouth)*

A $25,000 violin from a home

$15 from a guy on the R train - (thief had a gun)*

A motorcycle and a scooter from the streets

Let's analyze them.

Frequency: There are nine crimes in four days. That's about two crimes a day in the downtown Brooklyn area. It could be worse, but it could be better.

Bodily Harm: Luckily, no bodily harm was reported. But three of these crimes (marked with *) had potential for bodily harm. These were physical contact robberies in which the victims were attacked, one-on-one. Weapons were used in two of the crimes, a razor blade and a gun. These types of robberies are the most worrisome and dangerous for the average person. If someone steals your stuff when you're not around, it hurts, but you'll get over it. However, to be confronted with physical bodily harm or death is unthinkable. At least, it should be and it shouldn't be going on in our society anymore. This is 2010. We need to get these Neanderthals who value material things over human life off the streets.

Prevention: For starters, let's find the fences. Do you see these camera thieves taking shots of butterflies or the violin thieves serenading their ladies at the dinner table? I don't. So, let's find and foil the fences.

Watching out for you, downtown Brooklyn, 'till next time.

Source:

Stephen Brown, Police Blotter, The Brooklyn Paper