As residents in Norwood, Bedford Park and other communities across the borough complain of blaring, amplified music, illegal cookouts, and double-parked vehicles, heard and seen at all hours of the night, the 52nd Precinct’s commanding officer announced he now has two teams specifically working on these issues.

As the NYPD continues to respond to complaints across the precinct, Deputy Inspector Jeremy Scheublin told residents during the monthly 52nd Precinct Community Council meeting, held at Norwood’s North Central Bronx Hospital, part of NYC Health + Hospitals network, on Wednesday, June 23, that help was on the way.

Scheublin told the packed room, “Quality of life is the conversation, right? As it is at every meeting, everybody wants to know what we’re going to do in regards to quality-of-life conditions. So, we established two teams so far, to address specific conditions within this command.” He added, “Enforcement is not always the answer. We don’t want to arrest our way out of issues.”

Commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct for the last 8 months, since the departure of former commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Thomas J. Alps, Scheublin continued, “You’re in your house and somebody downstairs is creating a condition where you’re not getting your rest, we’re going to address that. We may try to warn them. Sometimes they don’t listen, and sometimes enforcement is necessary.” Scheublin said that the command has seen a nearly 300 percent increase in criminal court summonses regarding quality-of-life issues.

During the meeting, residents of Loring Place North and Hall of Fame Terrace in the southwest section of the command commended Schebulin and officers from the precinct on their efforts on their blocks. However, one resident from Decatur Avenue and East 198th Street complained, “I have 3 kids and where we live, it’s just like a nightclub on the street.”

The meeting identified other trouble spots like East Kingsbridge Road and East 194th Street, where they said a group had allegedly taken over a vacant home. Norwood News has also received complaints from residents about other troubled spots from a noise perspective, including Paul Avenue along the Jerome Park Reservoir and East Gun Hill Road between Perry and Decatur Avenue.

During the meeting, community activist, Sirio Guerino, asked about sprinkler caps for fire hydrants which he said he believes “leads to barbecuing and hanging out.” He added that he felt NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials were not doing enough enforcement in this regard.

One fire hydrant on Decatur Avenue and East Gun Hill Road in Norwood was seen open at “full throttle” on June 6. It appeared to be almost empty on June 30. A parked car was also blocking access to it. 

Norwood News contacted DEP for comment as regards the rules around fire hydrant usage, providing some photos of open hydrants as examples.

A spokesperson responded, saying, “The first photo [Decatur Avenue and East Gun Hill Road] shows a “fully open” fire hydrant – this is illegal. This should be reported to 311 immediately so a DEP crew can be dispatched to close it. The second photo [Putnam Place and Reservoir Oval East] shows a sprinkler cap installed on a hydrant. Sprinkler caps are legal and can be obtained free of charge at any FDNY firehouse.”

Norwood News has since reported the fully open hydrant to 311.

We previously reported on the concerns of some other residents who felt that mobile car washers using fire hydrants along Webster Avenue to wash customers’ cars may end up emptying the hydrants, and similarly causing a fire hazard.

In respect of another open fire hydrant pictured on the corner of Bainbridge Avenue and East 194th Street in Fordham Manor, the DEP official said he could not tell if the hydrant had a sprinkler attached or not.

Meanwhile, regarding noise, on June 25, Mosholu Parkway resident, Crystal Cruz, told Norwood News, “I’m used to seeing people in the park just cooking, but now I see people bring cars for music and they’ll have a little grill and set up chairs on the sidewalk, and they’re cooking right on the sidewalk.” Cruz added, “I get so surprised because the precinct is right there, and they’re still doing these things.”

A pair of Parks Department enforcement officers were observed speaking with a group of about 30 people who were playing amplified music and had set up a ‘bouncy house’ for children on Saturday, June 11, at East Mosholu Parkway North, near Webster Avenue on the border of Norwood and Bedford Park, directly across from the 52nd Precinct.

One Parks department official was asked by Norwood News if they were patrolling the area due to the loud music. A female officer replied, “Well, yeah, we told them to lower it, and also the bouncy-house.” The group complied with the order to lower the music, but there seemed to be a prolonged discussion regarding the group deflating the bouncy house which, apparently, is not allowed on Parks department property.

From simple observations, the loud music, open fire hydrants and barbecuing has begun earlier this year than in years passed when they tended to start up around the Fourth of July. They also appear to be more frequent, with illegal cookouts spotted in Williamsbridge Oval Park on June 18 and 19, and at least three separate cookouts observed in Bronx Park in the 49th Precinct on June 19.

Editor’s Note: Síle Moloney contributed to this story. 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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