SHB_p003

SC03192015

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com march 19, 2015 • THE COURIER SUN 3 Tire and rim theft still a problem in Howard Beach BY SALVATORE LICATA slicata@queenscourier.com @Sal_Licata1 Seeing a car on cinder blocks has become almost the norm in south Queens, according to police, as the Howard Beach area has been hit with a string of tire and rim thefts. Since Dec. 1, there have been about 59 tire and rim theft cases throughout the 106th Precinct. Lindenwood has experienced the brunt of the crime hit, as 21 of the 59 thefts have taken place in the neighborhood. The number of these cases has increased, as the three months before Dec. 1 saw 27 thefts in the precinct. “This has really been hurting us,” said Deputy Inspector Jeffrey D. Schiff, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct. “We’re going to keep after this and continue to throw different operations at these criminals.” Along with extra officers, Schiff has expanded his patrol in the Lindenwood area, especially during early morning hours when most crimes take place. He has been sending more crime teams out — both plain-clothed and uniformed officers — who have been on the lookout for cars with “reasonable suspicion” as it is not easy for officers to catch the preps in the act. Police said it takes mere seconds for experienced thieves to jack up a car, put it on bricks and pull the tires off. The crooks work in small crews, which shortens the amount of time it takes to steal the tires and flee the area. But just last week, Schiff said, the 106th Precinct caught a group of three men from Brooklyn who did a tire jacking in the Howard Beach area. They stopped a car coming out of a parking lot in Howard Beach for reasonable suspicion as it was in the early hours of the morning and there was no reason for a car to be in that lot. Upon their search, the officers found four tires and rims from a Toyota. They arrested the men, who didn’t have a major history of tire theft on their records, and later returned the tires to the person whose car they were stolen from near 157th Avenue in Howard Beach. This saved the car owner a large sum of money as replacing tires and rims can cost up to $3,000, according to Det. Kenneth Zorn of the 106th Precinct Community Affairs Unit. The 106th Precinct continues to send out fliers warning residents that late model Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas and Mercedes are being targeted for their rims. They recommend that car owners use wheel locks, motion sensor lights or an alarm with a mercury tilt switch to make their cars harder targets. Schiff said he will continue to beef up patrol around the Lindenwood and Howard Beach areas and is investigating different ways he can lure these perps into a trap. He has called the Queens District Attorney’s office about the three recently arrested thieves and asked for “aggressive prosecution and high bail” to deter other thieves from coming into the area and trying to steal tires. “We will continue to monitor the area and have officers there,” said Schiff. “Hopefully we can catch more of these criminals.” THE COURIER/Photo by Salvatore Licata/ Photo courtesy of Joe Thompson Deputy Inspector Jeffrey D. Schiff and a photo of a car after its wheels have been stolen. Vietnam veteran finally receives combat award BY SALVATORE LICATA slicata@queenscourier.com/@Sal_Licata1 On Dec. 3, 1968, Ozone Park‘s John D. Chichester and his army company were on a reconnaissance mission in Vietnam when they found themselves under heavy enemy fire. Chichester set up a defensive position and started firing back with his company, but not before six of his fellow soldiers were injured. Despite going above and beyond the call of duty to aid his men and though his acts were documented, Chichester would have to start a new fight after the war for over 40 years to get the rightful award he earned that day. “It was very frustrating,” he said, at the American Legion Post in Ozone Park last Thursday, where he was finally received the award he earned. After the war, Chichester was awarded the Bronze Star with a Valor Device (“V” Device) for his act of heroism during the Dec. 3, 1968, battle. But shortly thereafter, the military lost his records and consequently rescinded the “V” Device designation for his Bronze Star. Chichester battled with the Department of the Army for over 40 years to obtain the Valor commendation but each request was denied. After some work with Councilman Eric Ulrich’s office last December and with the help of supporting documentation, Chichester’s appeal was finally granted and the Army amended his discharge to reflect his entitlement to the “V” Device. His heroism came about that fateful day in 1968 as he went to each of the six men who were injured, picked them up and brought them to a safer area for them to be rescued. But it did not stop there. As he was dropping the men off in the safety area, the helicopter coming to pick them up came under fire and subsequently was not able to pick up the injured. So he then again brought each of the men to protection until they could be safely picked up and attended to. “Tonight we pay tribute to John D. Chichester’s selfless sacrifice defending our nation during the Vietnam War,” Ulrich said. “This award recognizes his heroism and exemplary service to our country and it is only a small token of appreciation for all that he has done on our behalf.” Photo courtesy of Phil Goldfeder


SC03192015
To see the actual publication please follow the link above