LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Just following all the numbers

Posted

To the editor:

(re: “Community tired of the same old stolen tire, stolen car story,” Dec. 15)

As a long-time Riverdalian who has battled auto theft in the past, I read your recent story with great interest. Your story rightly describes how auto-related crimes are spiking here.

When writing a corruption story, a reporter knows to follow the money. For any story on auto crimes, the key must be to follow the convictions.

During the 1980s and ‘90s Riverdale was the wild west for auto theft. Numbers peaked in 1990 when 2,408 cars were stolen in the 50th Precinct, and I and others — like the current Community Board 8 chair Laura Spalter — decided to fight back.  Along the way we learned a lot about how the criminal justice system deals with the theft of autos and auto parts.

We learned that most auto thieves are not caught and, for those who are, it is difficult to prove they are guilty of a felony because New York state law requires that the thief must be observed stealing the car by “exercising control over” it. 

In most cases, thieves caught with auto parts could only be charged with possession — a lesser crime — because car parts are not labeled.

As a result, few, if any, car thieves were serving any jail time for their crimes, even though some had been arrested up to 35 times. This prompted us to try to influence judges to sentence convicted offenders to jail time even for a misdemeanor like a break-in. 

We sent volunteers to court during hearings for auto thieves to put a “face” on this otherwise “victimless” crime and petitioned judges to sentence defendants to prison when found guilty.

Whether our efforts had any real effect in decreasing auto crimes is unknown. But judges did give thieves jail time, and we did highlight the failures of the criminal justice system to protect our property. Your newspaper played an active role in that effort.

Happily, stolen car numbers are nowhere near their 1990 peak. During the prior decade, auto theft numbers have hovered at around 100, a remarkable decline.  However, thefts in the 50th Precinct this year have almost doubled compared to 2021.

By contrast, the number citywide has only risen by a third, and many of us are deeply concerned we will become a wild west again.

I urge The Riverdale Press to continue to highlight auto crimes in the 50th Precinct and give us the answers to these questions. How many auto-related crimes have occurred each week or month? Are they rising or falling? How many arrests? How many convictions?

That kind of ongoing reporting would provide the community with an important public service.

Saul Scheinbach

Saul Scheinbach, automobile crimes, 50th Precinct,

Comments