Police Crackdown Accidentally Caused Spurt Of Muggings in Red Hook
Sometimes the paranoid among us are really just the most observant, and for those of you who thought that Red Hook seemed unusually prone to daytime robberies this summer, well, you were right.
According to the NYPD themselves, the rash of gunpoint muggings in the area was inadvertently caused by police activity. But it only happened because they were doing such a good job, okay?
“The gangs were not able to make their normal illegal income,” explained Capt. Jeffrey Schiff, whose precinct led a recent crackdown on gangs and narcotics in the Red Hook Houses. “The gang members, the upper echelon, decided to recruit 14, 15, 16-year-old kids to go out and generate that income illegally, generating phone robberies, phone-snatchings and the like. They spread out and started committing a bunch of robberies.”
Between August 14th and August 28th there were seven muggings in the area, with no injuries reported and no arrests made.
Thus far, police are warning residents to be keep an eye out and stay mindful of our electronics, but stronger weapons are needed for times such as this. Until further notice, we strongly suggest Red Hook residents to keep an iced coffee on hand at all times.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.
