Mayor Bramson has posted remarks on the Burglary Spree effecting the North End.
In recent months, a burglary ring has struck New Rochelle’s north end and several nearby communities.
For those concerned, let me offer the following:
- The NRPD has increased patrols and otherwise assigned resources to this priority, while also coordinating with other affected Departments in the region.
- The NRPD’s PACT unit has reached out to affected neighborhood associations to share information.
- The PD advises residents to take common-sense action to secure their properties, particularly when they expect to be away for extended periods
While there is a distinct pattern of activity that requires and is receiving a focused response, the rate of burglary, like crime as a whole, is historically low. New Rochelle has recorded 51 burglaries so far this year (as of April 26.) This compares with 67 burglaries during the same period in 2009, and, if you can believe it, 427 burglaries in the same period back in 1981. These statistics are offered not to dismiss the seriousness of the present challenge, but only to caution against undue alarm or misperceptions of escalating crime.
All good points except, perhaps, the last. The issue here is not burglaries in New Rochelle but burglaries in the North End. He is comparing apples and oranges. This is reminiscent of the Mayor’s 2008 Op-Ed chastising the Journal News for reporting on a “North-South Divide” in New Rochelle schools. The Mayor dismissed the criticism by noting that he went to public school in the New Rochelle and that his children were or would enrolled in New Rochelle public schools. All well and good except he failed to mention that both he and his children were enrolled in North End schools making his claim entirely misleading and beside the point.
