At a recent West Side Federation of Neighborhoods and Block Associations meeting, Joselinne Minaya, Community Coordinator for the New York County District Attorney’s Office, spoke to the group regarding recent crimes in our area.
The Crime Prevention Initiative has implemented enhanced mobile communication between NYPD personnel in the form of a departmental cell phones and tablets for each officer. This will allow the officers to keep in constant contact with their fellow officers and the precinct house as well as access the police data base for outstanding warrants, etc. In the near future, portable devices will be available to scan fingerprints of a suspect.
These devices will enable the officers to spend more time on the street and less time in the precinct thus better ensuring our safety. So if you see an officer looking at his cell phone, do not assume he is sending personal texts or emails; he may be communicating with his fellow officers to apprehend a suspect!
Ms. Minaya also spoke of recent crimes involving telephone scams and debit card scams. She offered the following advice:
• The NYPD or related organizations never call soliciting donations. If you receive such a call, hang up!
• There have been recent telephone scams in which the callers target elderly people and impersonate their children or grandchildren asking for money. Warn your elderly parents, friends, neighbors about such scams.
• All Cod Edison and NYPD personnel have identification badges. Do not allow anyone access to your home claiming to be such a representative without first checking for identification.
• Restaurant personnel have been known to copy your debit card number before handing your card back to you. Never use a debit card; use a credit card as it is easier to claim a fraudulent expense on a credit card.
• Never use an ATM machine in which the card insert device is loose. This may indicate that a duplicating device has been illegally installed.