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Ingersoll Houses See Nearly 19 Percent Drop in Crime

By Janet Upadhye | December 3, 2014 7:40pm
 Crime has gone down 18.6 percent in Fort Greene's Ingersoll Houses — while citywide the crime rate has dropped 4.4 percent since this time last year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.
Crime has gone down 18.6 percent in Fort Greene's Ingersoll Houses — while citywide the crime rate has dropped 4.4 percent since this time last year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.
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DNAinfo/Janet Upadhye

FORT GREENE — Crime has gone down nearly 19 percent in Fort Greene's Ingersoll Houses — while citywide the crime rate has dropped 4.4 percent since this time last year, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.

Earlier this year the city invested $210 million in anti-crime measures at housing authority buildings — focusing on 15 complexes that accounted for more than 20 percent of all crime committed in NYCHA houses. The Ingersoll Houses have seen the greatest level of success, the mayor said.

The funds paid for additional police presence, more lighting and new recreational activities.

"Here at Ingersoll Houses there has been real progress. We come back here because it is an example of what can be achieved," the mayor said from inside Ingersoll Community Center. "The crime drops are absolutely remarkable."

Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo noted that longer community center hours, garden projects, basketball tournaments, Dads Take Your Children to School Day and greater trust in local police by community members have also contributed to the low rates.

De Blasio, who recently spoke with several Ingersoll residents, said they have seen improvement.

"People here feel safer," he said. "They are able to go about their lives without some of the fear they felt in the past."

Crime is down 5.5 percent overall in the 15 targeted complexes and 10 of those have seen a drop in crime, according to NYPD Chief of Housing James Secreto.

The city as a whole has seen the lowest recorded crime rates over the last four months since 1994 — while incidents of stop-and-frisk are down 79 percent.

In the first 11 months of this year the city has seen 4,500 less serious crimes compared to last year — that's 21 fewer murders, 37 fewer rapes, 606 less robberies and grand larceny is down by 1,400.

Auto theft and shootings are both up this year — by 290 and 46 incidents respectively.