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45th, 49th precincts to see more police officers

Two neighborhoods in The Bronx that have been asking for an increased police presence will finally get their wish. The 45th and 49th precincts will soon be seeing more officers around the area. The NYPD

News 12 Staff

Jul 25, 2008, 10:52 PM

Updated 5,976 days ago

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Two neighborhoods in The Bronx that have been asking for an increased police presence will finally get their wish.
The 45th and 49th precincts will soon be seeing more officers around the area. The NYPD has confirmed that the 45th Precinct will get 18 new officers and the 49th Precinct will receive 14. According to the NYPD, the officers being stationed in the 45th and 49 th precincts will all be coming out of high crime zones throughout the city.
?It gives the neighborhood more and more protection,? resident Paul Coble says. ?People feel safer, they feel more confident. You don?t have to worry about walking at night.? Coble lives near the 49th Precinct.
Local police are also excited for the extra help. ?It?s a relief,? Community Affairs Officer Samuel Perez says. ?[Residents have] been asking for more officers for the coverage. They?re actually happy now.?
However, Joe Thompson from the 49th Precinct Community Council says more officers are always needed. ?We have to have the personnel to put in the places we really need them,? he says. ?This is going to go a long way in that direction, but we need a lot more personnel here.?
In the meantime, neighbors say they are grateful for the police presence they have.Councilman James Vacca has also been pushing for additional police officers in the areas. According to Vacca, overall crime in the 45th Precinct rose nearly 60 percent from January 2007 to January 2008. Vacca also says the 49th Precinct is understaffed nine months out of the year, especially in the summer when many officers are temporarily reassigned to pools, beaches and ballgames in the city.