I heard from Eugene Schatz of Community Affairs at the NYPD’s 1st Precinct in response to an email I sent about the recent crime wave. Here’s the text of his email:

We are aware of the recent burglaries in TriBeCa. There have been four residential burglaries in the past forty-five days, two of which we have reason to believe can be attributed to unlocked terraces. They are occurring in the evening and early morning hours between Thursday and Sunday. In an effort to catch the perpetrator(s) and prevent further property loss, our plainclothes officers have been deployed specifically to the area at these times and we have increased uniform patrols. In addition, our Crime Prevention and Auxiliary Officers have been distributing informational material to building management and supers. Some of these tips may seem like common sense but they can often be overlooked in the course of our busy days. Firstly, people should make sure to lock their doors even if they are only running out on a quick errand. This also includes locking terrace doors and windows. And if residents see someone in their building who they don’t believe belongs there, they should not hesitate to call 911 with a description.

There is a wealth of crime prevention information available online at nyc.gov/nypd, or they can receive news at facebook.com/nypd and twitter.com/nypdnews. Local goings on can be found at 1stprecinctcc.org. As always we encourage our neighbors to interact with us the old-fashioned way at our First Precinct Community Council monthly meetings held on the last Thursday of the month here at the First Precinct at 6:30.