Getting down to business

This week's assignment was to: a) visit the local police precinct and b) find out about immigrant populations on my beat.

I went to the 9th Precinct community meeting and was really surprised by the friendly, communal atmosphere. I had assumed that it was a place cranky old Villagers went to complain, but everyone knew each other from block associations and various neighborhood institutions. Some people had even shown up just to thank New York's Finest for sticking up for them. (Or maybe they just wanted some free coffee and donut holes.)

Granted, some people were still there to complain. There were mostly noise and nuisance complaints about bars and street musicians. Though the C.O. reported that grand larceny (the taking and carrying away of personal property valued over $1,000) is the biggest problem in the precinct, he also said that it was down by 12 percent this year compared to last year.

Grand larceny is a fairly broad term for many different crimes. It can range from people breaking into cars to steal computers or wallets, residential burglary (a problem because of lack of calls to 911 and no alarm systems) or credit card theft. One resident stated that burglars could enter and had entered with the mailmen (ahem, postal service workers), who by USPS policy are not allowed to prevent someone from entering with them.

This may be outside my beat, but the rock-star-looking general manager of Webster Hall also showed up to announce a community forum to resolve any problems before they get to city agencies (though it was looking pretty rowdy during the Ke$ha show last Saturday). I remember the good old days, when a Webster Hall bouncer confiscated my fake I.D. and told me I could "pick it up at the 9th precinct." Good times freshman year. Doesn't look like they're going to have any problems with the State Liquor Authority on that one.

Re: immigrant populations, NoHo is a pretty affluent neighborhood for those who live there. A business association might clue me in to immigrant restaurant workers. Also, something I forgot to bring up in class but was on my beat worksheet--the USA Shaolin Temple (keywords: martial arts and action meditation) happens to fall on the border of my beat. I read the profile of a monk from 2004 in The Villager, but there may be something else newsworthy there.

Edit: Also, I discovered that the 9th Precinct Community Council has a blog called The New Ninth Precinct. And a question on AP style...9th precinct? 9th Precinct? Ninth Precinct?