16 The Courier sun • JANUARY 21, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ARMED DUO ROBBED OZONE PARK BANK, DROPPED STOLEN CASH: NYPD By Robert Pozarycki rpozarycki@queenscourier.com @robbpoz Two gun-toting individuals swiped cash from an Ozone Park bank during a heist Thursday night, but apparently dropped some of the stolen loot a short distance away away, according to police. The armed robbery occurred at 7:54 p.m. inside the TD Bank located at 97-17 Rockaway Blvd. According to authorities, the two perpetrators — described as a black male and a black female wearing black masks, pants, gloves and sweatshirts — walked into the location displaying black firearms. Police said they approached the counter and handed a teller a bag, demanding that the employee fill it with cash. Seconds later, the teller placed $2,000 in the bag and handed it back to the crooks, who then fled the scene in an unknown direction. Officers from the 106th Precinct responded to the incident; there were no injuries reported. During a search, police reportedly Photo via Google Maps found some of the cash — apparently stained from an exploded dye pack placed in the bag — in front of a location on 97th Street just south of Rockaway Boulevard. The investigation by the NYPDFBI Joint Violent Crime Task Force is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the bank heist is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS, visit their http://a056-crimestoppers. nyc.gov/crimestoppers/public/index. html or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. Tipsters can also contact the FBI at 212-384- 5000. All calls and messages are kept confidential. Photos courtesy of the NYPD Photo via Google Maps Two armed, masked bandits robbed the TD Bank on Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park Thursday night, police reported. Two armed, masked bandits robbed the TD Bank on Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park Thursday night, police reported. Photo courtesy of the NYPD 106th Precinct working to stop tool-seeking burglars BY BROKE SMITH editorial@queenscourier.com/@queenscourier The new year may have just started, but the 106th Precinct is facing the challenge of combating a rise in property crimes. During the 106th Precinct Community Council’s meeting Wednesday night in Ozone Park, Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, the precinct’s commander, said the force saw a 67 percent increase in property crimes since the start of 2016. The rise, he noted, is largely due to a tool burglary pattern in the South Ozone Park area. The precinct has reported 17 such instances from last November through Jan. 8. In these capers, he explained, individuals are stealing specific tools from construction sites, residential garages and commercial vans, then marketing them to existing construction sites and body shops for low prices. The 106th Precinct responded to this burglary pattern by establishing a Midnight Crime Team, a group of officers flooding the area of 114th Street and Linden Boulevard looking out for any suspicious activity. The team’s presence has resulted in seven residential burglary arrests this year and the cessation of the tool burglaries as of Jan. 8. Police encouraged those who own tools to have the serial numbers registered at the precinct through the NYPD’s Operation ID program. Stolen property found in possession of a thief that’s registered through Operation ID can be more quickly returned to the rightful owner. The NYPD offers this service free of charge. Schiff emphasized education as the best way for residents to protect themselves and their property. “Go to every meeting, check our Facebook page, check your emails,” Schiff said. “If you’re going to let strangers in your home, you have to watch them. Install cameras or get a house sitter Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, 106th Precinct commander, shown next to a pile of untaxed cigarette cartons that the precinct seized last week. if you have to.” Schiff urges residents to identify all the people who come into your home and designate areas that they are allowed to enter, especially if workers are coming into the home. Despite the rise in property crimes, he noted a 45 percent decrease in con artist crimes including a 29 percent decrease in pickpockets and 80 percent decrease in extortion. Transit crimes are also down by 14 percent. Photo via Twitter/@NYPD106Pct The council applauded the support and cooperation of the community and organization leaders who filled the room to capacity and who play a vital role in reporting crime. “We’ve had a full house every month for as long as I can remember,” Council President Frank Dardani said. “We used to get 15 to 20 complaints. It’s remarkable how complaints are down, but we still get a full house because people are still interested in what goes on in their community.”
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