Question of the Day: Private Security?
On the same day last week, we heard in the morning from a policeman that the 88th Precinct (Fort Greene and Clinton Hill) had finally gotten a boost in manpower and in the afternoon that our neighbor across the street had been robbed the night before. We’re wondering what people think about the idea of…
On the same day last week, we heard in the morning from a policeman that the 88th Precinct (Fort Greene and Clinton Hill) had finally gotten a boost in manpower and in the afternoon that our neighbor across the street had been robbed the night before. We’re wondering what people think about the idea of supplementing the local police force with some private security. Our GC told us he thinks the local “bad guys” won’t be put off by rent-a-cops. Other people have said that bringing in private security would only antagonize relations between gentrifiers and old-timers. We’re sure other people’s response will be “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” But if you’ve already committed to being in a neighborhood, should political correctness stop you from doing everything you can to ensure the safety of your family? Is passing the hat to your neighbors to raise money for a night-time patrol realistic?
Retaliation is not something you want to invite. You don’t want the party you report to have so much as an inkling it might be you. 311 makes you give your name and address when filing a complaint. It’s a lot simpler (and safer) to have the Security Patrol call 311, or deal with the issue.
In my Ditmas Park neighborhood it is the Neighborhood Association which organizes the private security, holds the meetings to vote on hours, special services, etc… It’s part of the much larger agenda of the neighborhood association. The two go hand in hand.
simple. see a crime pick up the phone. whether its one guy snorting some coke or a group of noisy inidividuals on the corner(ya may not be a crime but get the police to drive by anyway). let the little stuff slip by and it gets worse. make the neighborhood unpleasant for unpleasant indidviduals…
I have to agree with the very first comment here–crownstoner’s. Accusations of elitism aside, I think stronger community connections would be more effective than hired guns (pun intended). The famous urbanist, Jane Jacobs, showed that community conhesion in the form of “eyes on the street” deters crime, regardless of neighborhood demographics, geography, etc. (See Mitch Duneier’s book, Sidewalk, as a more recent example.) And if I’m not mistaken, more recent urban research shows that increased authoritative security–whether it be police, private guards, surveillance technology, etc.–positively correlates with increased crime. Counterintuitive, I know, but worth considering.
Fulton & waverly block association poster-when do you meet? can you leave some contact info? I live on Waverly too & want to be a part of the group.
We have a block association. We are on the block with the rehab center (fulton & waverly). The block assoc has actually been very effective in curbing the drug activity that was going on on the block. There was a lot of coke sniffing out in broad daylight. Point is, i think it’s best if the homeowners band together. the 88 precinct has also been responsive to calls and even come to the block meeting along with representatives from the center. it’s not perfect, but it definitely helps.
Flatbush nabes are not as homogenous as you might assume. Come on out and take a walk around. Also, as I stated earlier, I was happy to have private security on the Lower East Side – for many of the same reasons you brownstoners might take into consideration. Things happen. Everywhere. To people of all ethnic backrounds, of all income levels.
Flatbush nabes are not as homogenous as you might assume. Come on out and take a walk around. Also, as I stated earlier, I was happy to have private security on the Lower East Side – for many of the same reasons you brownstoners might take into consideration. Things happen. Everywhere.
The escort service is only available to paying members.
Let me say that there is definately a wide range in incomes in Ditmas Park, despite the $1million dollar plus price tags we’ve seen recently. There are still many families here who bought there houses for $30K in the early seventies. Some of these families, it’s true, really can’t afford private security. Some save and scrape to pay for it. Some wealthy homeowners choose not to subscribe to private security. There’s no one “blueprint” here.
There seems to be no resentment on the part of the non subscribers with respect to not getting the perks the paying members are getting from private security. In fact one of the most common remarks you hear from people trying to justify not subscribing is, “Security already drives up and down my street. Why bother paying?” The non-subscribers seem very happy to benefit from the presence of the security patrol, and even happier to have their neighbors pay for that service for them. There’s probably more resentment from the people who pay for private security against those who don’t (and can afford it). Overall, though, everyone seems to be OK with having the security patrol visible in the neighborhood.