26th Precinct Force Welcomes New Commanding Officer

The 26th Precinct police force has a new leader, and he has no shortage of ideas about how to decrease neighborhood crime.
As the new Commanding Officer of the 26th Precinct, Michael E. Cassidy is both continuing the work of his predecessor, Scott Loose, and creating his own programs to tackle current problems in the neighborhood.

According to Cassidy, theft has been the most rampant crime in the 26th Precinct, which extends from West 113th Street to West 133rd Street, between the Hudson River and Amsterdam Avenue. In his new position, Cassidy plans to make theft prevention a priority.

Previously-existing programs, including the Field Command Post--a marked police car permanently stationed on Broadway around 114th Street--and crime prevention programs such as Operation Identification, which allows students to register their computers and other valuables free of charge, are still being promoted.

Cassidy began his career in the New York City Police Department in 1988 and was designated commanding officer of the 26th Precinct on June 2 this year. He has taken steps to resolve community issues such as drug dealing and violence in St. Nicholas Terrace and Riverside, Morningside, and St. Nicholas Parks.

According to Cassidy, "We have very good relations with community groups." That includes Community Board 9, with whom he has met every month since he began his post, and the 26th Precinct Community Council.

New programs include midnight aerial park sweeps on a regular basis. Two weeks ago, helicopters swept Morningside Park, and last Friday, St. Nicholas Park. The park sweeps, combined with the precinct's first narcotics module, address drug and violence issues in the parks bordering the 26th Precinct, Cassidy said.

However, according to Cassidy, it's not violence but property theft that has been the major problem in the 26th Precinct. Cassidy stressed the need for greater awareness among students.

"It's inattentiveness that's the problem" in most thefts, Cassidy said. "There were 35 grand larcenies from Aug. 18 to Sept. 14, but 15 [involved] unattended property." That's four more than last year, but property theft has always been a problem in this neighborhood.

"There's a new class every year [at Columbia], so there's always an influx of new students from other states. It's a never-ending cycle," he said, even if police make efforts to educate students by publicizing the problem.

According to Cassidy, property thieves are often professionals, operating in teams to pursue their victims more effectively. For example, one person in a restaurant will show the victim a dollar on the floor and ask whether it belongs to her, while another person on the team will whisk away the victim's purse or put it under her own chair.

"It's the old distraction technique," Cassidy said. As for whether property theft usually targets specific people, Cassidy noted that thieves will sometimes pick a person who looks more prosperous out of a crowd, "but sometimes it's just a potluck" as to who becomes a victim.

Cassidy also expressed concern about identity theft, which occurs when personal information is used illegally by others to assume the victim's identity. This information can easily be found on a social security card, driver's license, or credit card--the sort of items people often carry with them. Furthermore, many don't realize that when their purse or wallet is stolen, it isn't enough just to cancel credit cards.

"You need to put immediate fraud alerts on your credit reports at the three major credit bureaus," Cassidy said. These credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union, and since they share data, calling in an alert to one bureau will automatically alert the other two.

However, a fraud alert only lasts six months, and in order to continue it, contacting one of the credit bureaus again is necessary, along with further documentation of identity such as an electricity bill. For most credit bureaus, this will keep the fraud alert active for another seven years.

Cassidy should know. In 2000, he himself was a victim of identity theft. "I was the type of individual who shreds everything--didn't matter," Cassidy recalled ruefully. In the end, he was not liable for anything the identity thief did while masquerading as him, and the perpetrator was caught and punished. However, Cassidy said many victims who don't take rapid action, or who fail to understand how serious identity theft is, are not as lucky.

"Some don't see [identity theft] as a crime, or don't care because they've got bad credit already, so it doesn't matter to them if it gets worse," Cassidy said. Many people, he added, don't even know that it happens until they're refused major financial transactions, such as mortgages, student loans, or car loans.

In light of Columbia's possible expansion as far uptown as 133rd Street, Cassidy takes the view that more police may be needed, given "more members of the community, more 911 calls, more radar runs, and more 311 calls. But it depends." The 26th Precinct currently has 114 police officers, which Cassidy said "leaves us strapped for officers" but which he maintains is still enough for now, given careful allotment of police forces to areas of different needs.

John Murolo, a former 26th Precinct commanding officer and current associate director of Columbia security, agreed. "The area [that Columbia may expand into] isn't high in crime right now, because there aren't a whole lot of potential victims--it's sparsely traveled."

If the population uptown increases, according to Murolo, then Cassidy is likely to "tweak and adjust coverage." Because the precinct is far more commercially active during the day than at night, Columbia's expansion would likely cause increased traffic--and consequently crime--at night. Murolo added that since the area Columbia is seeking for expansion is "right down the block from the precinct [headquarters]," crime will not likely pose much of a problem.