Assemblyman William Colton (D – Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Dyker Heights) is taking crime seriously and has been proactively fighting against it in the neighborhood.

“Even though crimes in the district are down, unfortunately, there have been several complaints of burglaries and repeated shoplifting at stores in the neighborhood, and I would like to commend the 62 Precinct Commanding Officer Captain Chen for acting promptly on complaints of neighborhood merchants. I together with Captain Chen, Dr. Tim Law, and Angel Wu of CASS toured these neighborhood businesses where we heard first-hand the concerns of these merchants,” Colton stated.

 “As part of the action to stop recent store burglaries and shoplifting Captain Chen made excellent suggestions as to how to prevent these crimes and hold those responsible accountable. The first merchant must call 911 and file reports of such crimes as soon as discovered so police can find patterns and act to get those doing them. Second, if the perpetrator is still on the scene, clearly state to the 911 operator that the crime is “IN PROGRESS” or if the perp displays or threatens with a weapon, be sure to state this. These statements will create a higher level of priority for police to respond. The Captain stated when the 911 operator reports a crime is “in progress” or “a weapon is involved”, officers are dispatched and arrive within 3 to 8 minutes. Third, in shoplifting situations request the officers to give a trespass affidavit to sign and to serve the perp with it. Once this is done the merchant has a right to prohibit the person from entering the store and if that person enters the store in the future, that is the crime of trespass and the person can be arrested without proof of theft. Also, merchants should invest in surveillance cameras which can tape and store sharp images of the criminals committing such crimes so police can identify and arrest them,” Colton continued.

“We need to educate people and let them know what their rights are and how to protect themselves from crime offenders. Anyone who is planning to commit a crime must know that it will not be tolerated. There is no place in our neighborhood for such crimes. We are taking it seriously and will continue to fight it until it stops,” Colton added.