_Hi Everyone,   The following is a message from Captain Cody, 104th Precinct.  Please pass this along to your friends and neighbors!!  If it happened here - it could happen anywhere!  These con men move around to avoid getting caught! ______________  

Good Morning: Yesterday on Maspeth Avenue at about 4:20 PM an individual posing as a Water Department inspector approached a residence and got confidence of homeowner to gain entry by asking to check water meter

He got homeowner to lead him to basement while there others entered residence and removed property then fled location

Description:
Male white-wearing orange work vest reflective hat and Radio

Please pass the word and if Anything suspicious is observed contact 911

All the best
MC
Captain Michael Cody
Commanding Officer
104th Precinct

_Hi Everyone,   Looks like we're not the only ones doing holiday shopping!  We had two burglaries in the west Maspeth area.  If they happened there, they can happen anywhere!

• An attached home, 58 numbers on 58th Drive, off Flushing Avenue and 59th Street was broken into last week.  It is believed the burglary occurred between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm through the front  I don't have specifics as to what was taken.
• A detached house, 59 numbers on Grand Avenue was burglarized yesterday through the rear.  A neighbor states she heard glass break at about 8:30 am.  Laptops and money was stolen.  Everyone in the house leaves for work.

Most residential burglaries occur during the day when people are at work. There's a good chance the perpetrator(s) were watching these families' routines.

• Whenever possible, but try not to follow the same routine.
• When you leave your home, look around to see if someone is loitering around on the corner or sitting in a vehicle.  Try to make a note of the make/model of the vehicle and license plate number and get a description of the individual.
• If you have to get to work and have a neighbor's phone number, give them a call, pass the information to them and ask them to keep a lookout and call 911, if necessary.
• Many burglars travel on foot and steal small items such as jewelry, cash, etc.  Some burglars may be wearing a backpack to put the items in or may be wearing a coat with big pockets.
• Sometimes a burglar will ring the bell of a targeted house to be sure no one is home.  If someone answers the door they ask for a fictitious person, etc.  If that happens to you, discretely look out your window and watch them.  If a neighbor doesn't answer their bell, the perpetrator might walk to the rear of the house.  If that happens, call 911.  You can do it anonymously, but keep in mind you won't get into trouble if you're mistaken.  It's always best to leave a callback number.
• If you hear glass breaking (like what happened with the burglary above), or an unfamilar noise coming from a neighbor's house, DO NOT go out to investigate.  Call 911.
• Captain Cody, 104th Precinct, suggests if you purchase expensive items and are throwing the box out, fold it inside out so a burglar won't know what you bought.
• If something doesn't appear to be right - it probably isn't.  If someone stands out as suspicious but gives you no immediate reason to call 911, you can forward the info to me (date, time, location, description, etc.) and I'll pass it along to our precincts.  They will have officers be on the lookout in the area.
• Remember, it's neighbor looking out for neighbor.  That's what we're about!

For those of you awakened by an NYPD helicopter at about 3-4:20 am this morning, here's what Captain Cody reports:
______________
"Burglary of a premises at 53-03 65 Place-Beauty Parlor perp caught in act and fled-Aviation aided in search and apprehension-investigation ongoing-1 under arrest by my a/c team"

Last week one of our Comet members told me about a burglary on Ankener Avenue near Calamus Avenue which is a block or two out of Maspeth/Woodside.  Today the same member came across two officers from the NYPD passing out fliers in the vicinity of Ankener Avenue.  I reached out to the 110th Precinct and here's DI Napolitano's response below.  Please pass this on to your friends and family in the area!!

"I actually asked Sgt Morales to target that area with crime prevention material due to the recent increase in burgs in that area. In fact, I was in that area yesterday with Russell. If u could spread the word that anyone seeing anything suspicious to please call 911. At the scene of one of the burglaries a male Hispanic around 6' was seen leaving a house that was just burglarized. He was neatly dressed with blue jeans, black jacket and a baseball cap.

There could be several burglars in the neighborhood so if they see ANYONE suspicious to call 911."

Please pass this info along and get the word out. Call 911 if you see suspicious activity.   At 5:15 pm today, one of our members called to say he saw the 110th Precinct on Calamus Avenue/Ankener Avenue.  He was told a home was burglarized.  This location is right on the Maspeth/Woodside/Elmhurst border so we all need to be alert.  Please don't leave your windows open when you go out and since most burglaries occur at the rear or side of a residence, make sure the windows and doors have good locks.  If you would like a free home security survey, call the Crime Prevention Officer at your precinct.  They will make an appointment to meet with you at your convenience and you will be given inexpensive ways to safeguard your home.   Crime Prevention Officers: 104th Precinct - PO Tom Barbario - 718-386-6223 108th Precinct - PO Eli Gani - 718-784-5427 110th Precinct - PO Elvis Santana - 718-476-9326   An update from the COP104 meeting last night:

• Maspeth had two residential burglaries in west Maspeth and two burglaries of trucks on Maurice Avenue during the past 28 days.
• Although burglaries can occur at any time, the Captain said most burglaries in the 104th Precinct (Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood) occur on Saturdays.
• Our larcenies went down in Maspeth this year but folks are still leaving "unattended property" in their cars such as laptops, GPS's, etc. or leaving their purse unattended in supermarkets, etc.
• The Captain stressed the importance of keeping a list of serial numbers for your electronics, bicycles or anything that has a serial number.  There is a new program where they can look up items that were sold to a pawn shop and if you have the serial number the item will be returned to you.  The serial numbers are also useful because if someone is caught with something they stole from you - you can prove it is yours by the serial number.

PO Youssef returned from vacation and I was able to get the crime stats for the 108th Precinct  Winfield/Woodside area that is adjacent to Maspeth and Elmhurst.   The two reported burglaries sparked my attention.  Rather than just taking jewelry, cash and small items that can easily be hidden in a backpack or pocket, the burglar(s) also removed large items from the residences.  Since most of us live near a precinct border you need to know what is going on a few blocks from your home.

• Items were removed from a residence on 51st Avenue/65th Place.  
• The second residence's basement apartment, located on 48th Avenue/65th Street, was burglarized and items were stolen.

I assume that the perpetrator(s) had a vehicle since he/they would look suspicious carrying large items down the street.  Although these burglaries happened in close proximity to one another, if a vehicle is involved this crook(s) could easily move to other nearby locations in Maspeth and/or Elmhurst.    If you see any person or persons removing large items or other property from a residence and it's not the homeowner, call 911.  If you see a stranger lurking near a driveway, etc. call 911.  Let the police question the individual.  You can't get into trouble if you're mistaken but you may help lower our crime stats and save someone from becoming a victim if you're right.  Most importantly, if you return home and see evidence of a break-in, do not enter and call 911. A burglar could be dangerous when confronted. Please pass this on to your neighbors and friends in the area.  Thanks.   By the way, PO Youssef said the overall crime numbers for the last 28 days in our area are 6 cimes this year compared to 9 crimes last year - a reduction of 33% year-to-date.

A Comet member reports that on Monday, 4/13, her neighbor awoke to find his 2011 Escalade perched on top of four boxes and all four wheels had been removed.  The vehicle was parked on 53rd Avenue at 66th Street.  The neighbor has replaced the tires on the Escalade and had wheel locks installed.  Hopefully this incident was reported to the 104th Precinct.  

Hi Everyone,   Last month I sent a notification to folks alerting them about an individual wanted in a series of burglaries in south west Elmhurst in the 110th Precinct near the Woodside border.  Surprisingly, folks from Maspeth responded said they saw someone matching his description.  One sighting was on 57th Avenue near PS 58, the others were in west Maspeth.  Everyone who called asked if this individual had a beard but the 110th Precinct said surveillance tape of the person was too grainy to see it.  

Update:  DI Napolitano of the 110th Precinct contacted me to say it's now believed this individual DOES have a beard.   In case you weren't notified previously or forgot the description, it's as follows:  male black, approx 6' - 6'2, thin about 190 lbs.  He was last seen wearing a black North Face jacket with work boots.  He was walking with a shopping cart.  If this man did burglaries in Elmhurst he certainly won't have a problem doing them elsewhere.    If you see someone matching this description, CALL 911.  Tell the operator that you see a male matching the description of a burglar wanted for multiple burglaries in the 110th Precinct.  The responding precinct will then refer the case to the 110th Precinct Squad to determine whether or not this is the suspect they are looking for.  Pass this on to others in the neighborhood and let's work to get this perpetrator off the street before there's more victims!