[/media-credit]
- A surveillance camera image of one of the burglary suspects. The full image shows him carrying a bag in his left hand — containing stolen property.
Catching night burglars is Village precinct’s top priority
Deputy Inspector Brandon del Pozo, the Sixth Precinct’s commanding officer, said the Greenwich Village precinct is focusing on apprehending two individuals responsible for a series of burglaries that have happened between midnight and dawn over the last several weeks.
“These burglars enter apartments overnight, and for this reason, the victims are sometimes home,” the commander said. “They use windows and fire escapes as a point of entry. The crimes have not resulted in confrontation, violence or injury to any person, but because of the fact that these burglars are not deterred by the prospect of people being home at the time of the act, their apprehension is the precinct’s top priority.”
Del Pozo noted that one of the individuals has been identified fleeing into the transit system.
“Also, be certain to lock any windows that abut fire escapes and scaffolding, or that can be accessed from the outside by any means, at all times,” del Pozo advised residents.
City to close Wash. Irving H.S.
The city’s Department of Education has decided to close Washington Irving High School in Gramercy by 2015.
The New York Times reported that D.O.E.’s decision was spurred on by the school’s low graduation rate — only 48 percent of seniors received diplomas last year.
The large high school, on Irving Place between 16th and 17th Sts., was slated to receive more than $2 million in federal stimulus money over the next three years. Instead, that money will now go toward the school that replaces it.
Washington Irving was among 19 low-performing schools that D.O.E. last week announced it will either close or phase out over several years.
Dog overboard! Police to rescue
A Police Department Harbor Unit boat on Sunday rescued an Airedale terrier named Bodhi who chased a frisbee tossed by his owner into the Hudson River off Pier 54 at W. 13th St.
Harbor officers got the call at 4:10 p.m. and found the dog’s owner standing on a piling that he had climbed down on to from the pier.
The pilot of the boat, Benjamin Reiver, maneuvered the bow under the pier to where the dog was swimming. Crewmember Police Officer Kevin Fedynak used a canine noose to catch Bodhi and pull him aboard. After being quickly wrapped in towels, the animal was taken to the cabin, and the pilot maneuvered to the piling, where Fedynak brought the owner, Scott Kariya, 40, into the boat with the help of a police Emergency Service Unit.
Reiver and Fedynak rescued a German shepherd that ran into the water on July 25 off Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn and was carried by the current about a mile offshore, police said.
Is there a pigeon-poisoning perp?
Ruth Kuzub, owner of the Silversmith on W. Fourth St. and a West Village resident for 40 years, reported on Tuesday that someone has been poisoning birds — presumably pigeons — around Perry and Greenwich Sts.
“We found eight dead birds,” she said, adding that she was worried about the unintended collateral damage. “It could affect the red-tailed hawk that nests in the neighborhood, as well as dogs and other pets.” Kuzub said. “It was done by a person who has no idea about the possible consequences.”
Silver floats L.E.S. ferry idea
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wrote to Deputy Mayor Robert Steele on Dec. 9, urging the city to explore the possibility of expanding its East River ferry service to include stops on the Lower East Side.
“As you know, residents of the eastern end of Grand St., as well as thousands of residents of New York City Housing Authority complexes in this area, suffer from a serious lack of access to public transportation,” Silver wrote.
The Assembly speaker noted that the ferry service has proven successful and popular with commuters along its existing routes from E. 34th St. to stops in Queens, Brooklyn and the western part of Lower Manhattan.
“Lower East Side residents, particularly students and seniors, have difficulty reaching the Financial District, as well as other parts of Lower Manhattan, due to the distance they must travel for the closest subway stations on East Broadway and Delancey St.,” Silver wrote.
