READERS WRITE: Are Delays an Accident?

The 66th Precinct has to be one of the best Precincts to work for in New York City. All you have to do is read the latest statistics as reported by BoroPark24 on how Boro Park tops the charts in safety with the lowest homicide rate in the City. There is less crime, less drugs, less guns, less criminal activity overall, and therefore, it would be logical to presume these impressive statistics leave those at the 66th Precinct ready and able to serve the community without being constantly tied down by crime and ready and able to show the community some small amount of appreciation for making their job so much easier than it must be in some of the other inner-city precincts. 

Yet, it seems one must never presume. First of all, I am not presuming to suggest that the 66th Precinct is not busy, but the fact is that time and again when it comes to responding to car accidents in Boro Park, minor fender benders, or the like, it can take the police many hours, in some cases extremely long, to show up at the scene which seems to be an inordinate amount of time from any perspective. 

I recently had a friend tell me about a car accident he was in where he stood by and waited for four hours in order to be on hand for the police report required by insurance companies. With an important agenda he had to deal with, out of desperation, he called the police station to ask once again when he could expect an officer to show up. After explaining his situation in more detail, he was told, much to his relief, that he could come down to the station. When he arrived, he was told that information had been wrong and that he could only get a police report if he stayed at the scene. It took ten hours - TEN HOURS for an officer to show up to file the report. 

Such a long wait is truly unacceptable for anyone but for law-abiding citizens working to follow the law and do what's right, kal v'chomer. We understand the police are hard at work, but we are also hard-working individuals with lives, jobs, families, children, and with commitments to meet and people who rely on us. We can't afford to stand outside for many hours while the sun beats down on us in the summer or while shivering in our cars for hours in the middle of winter to wait for a police officer to show up and allow us to file a report as required by law. 

We WANT to follow the law, as is proven by our track record. We understand that very minor accidents arent an emergency, but we have important things to do in our lives and cant waste many hours just to get a police officer make a police report.

There is certainly room for improvement in this area where our statistics probably match the rest of the City - fender benders. Can our officers please try to become first in responding to the scene so that next year's reports on the quality of life in Boro Park looks that much rosier?

Looking forward to the 66th Precinct's response. 

An Avid BoroPark24 Reader