Council Member Mark Treyger is renewing his call for the NYPD to bring ShotSpotter technology to Coney Island and for the mayor to include funding in his proposed budget to hire 1,000 additional officers in response to a rise in shootings, including several incidents this past weekend. In a June 2nd letter to Police Commissioner William Bratton, Council Member Treyger requested that the 60th Precinct, which includes Coney Island, be included in use of ShotSpotter, which has been employed in high crime neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx as part of a pilot program. ShotSpotter uses real time data and technology to immediately notify the police of incidents of shots being fired in its coverage area. This can help reduce police response times while providing the city with an accurate picture of the number of shootings that actually occur in a specific community and pinpointing neighborhood hotspots where the majority of incidents take place. In addition, Council Member Treyger is continuing to call on Mayor de Blasio to include funding in his executive city budget that would allow the NYPD to hire 1,000 additional officers to be deployed in Coney Island and other areas with gun violence problems.

In his letter to Commissioner Bratton, Council Member Treyger expresses concern with the impact that shootings are having on the law-abiding residents of Coney Island and the need for additional police resources to combat this problem, especially during the summer months. As of June 7, there had been six shooting incidents in the 60th Precinct, according to the NYPD, a slight increase from last year. However, Council Member Treyger has heard numerous reports from residents of other shootings that did not result in a person struck and were not included in NYPD crime reports. In addition, there were at least two shooting incidents this past weekend, including one on Friday night near the Searise apartments at Neptune Avenue and W. 36th Street during which nobody was struck and one on Sunday afternoon near 2750 Neptune Avenue, in which a 68-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were shot less than a block from a middle school and a public park.

“It is clear that the city and NYPD must step up its efforts to combat this growing problem and take immediate steps to reduce gun violence in Coney Island. I am urging Commissioner Bratton to expand the department’s use of this proven technology so that we get a clearer and fuller picture of the violence that is plaguing this community and so that police can immediately respond when a shooting does occur. We also must increase the visibility of officers in locations suffering from high crime rates by adding 1,000 to the city’s police force. It is unfair that law-abiding citizens cannot walk down their block or go shopping in the middle of the day without fearing for their lives. I am very concerned about the rise in shootings in Coney Island and across the city, as well as the many incidents that do not go reported in official NYPD statistics. Bringing ShotSpotter technology and additional officers to the 60th Precinct will help the NYPD finally hold accountable the few individuals who are causing distress in our community,” said Council Member Treyger.

Council Member Treyger joined the Coney Island Anti-Violence Collaborative and residents at an anti-violence rally Monday outside at Neptune Avenue and W. 36th Street to send a message that the community will not tolerate this senseless violence and to demand immediate action from the city to help end the shootings.

(YWN Desk – NYC)