A spate of petty crimes in the Glen Oaks neighborhood over the last year has prompted neighbors to seek assurances from the police.
A group of Rye police, including Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy, met with an estimated 15 residents at a Park Avenue address on Monday, April 16.
Kopy said police were invited to meet at the private home where residents from the neighborhood sought information on how they were being kept safe from petty crime and what tactics police were using to patrol the area and catch offenders.
Police said there have been two burglaries in the area in the last eight months, compared to five city-wide over the last year. The area, sandwiched between Boston Post Road and Interstate 95, is often used as a shortcut between Harrison and Mamaroneck for those looking to dodge the traffic-light at the intersection of Oakland Beach and Boston Post Road.
Kopy said, “There is no indication or intelligence that people are specifically targeting any area” in Rye. “Nothing happening there is unique to Glen Oaks.”
He said meetings between police and residents, neighborhood watch groups, and residents’ associations are “a common occurrence.”
“It’s part of our job to engage with the community in this way.” The reported burglaries are still being investigated by the town detectives and local police. Last week, Police issued a suspicious activity advisory on their social media pages, noting that two vehicles had been stolen from the Hix Park neighborhood between Disbrow Park and Rye Golf Club. The post reminded residents to “lock their home doors as well as their car doors.”
“Criminals are continuing to come into our city because they know our residents are leaving their car doors unlocked with their car keys inside the vehicle,” the advisory stated.
In early March, Police had advised residents on their Instagram page about a recent attempted car theft. On Sunday March 3 at 9:45 a.m., a black Jeep was seen occupied by two suspects wearing ski masks checking car doors. Police received numerous calls about the incident and subsequently the car left the city.
Kopy said car thefts in Rye were “almost always” due to key fobs being left inside cars. He called the practice “very dangerous.”
He said some newer vehicles’ side mirrors fold inwards automatically once a key is far enough away, so seeing certain vehicles with their side mirrors still extended can be a dead-giveaway that the key is inside the vehicle.
“In terms of people stealing change and sunglasses out of a vehicle, we never see a car with a broken window to gain access,” he said.
