NYPD Writes Back to PLG

If you may recall, neighborhood groups joined forces after 2011's spike in shootings and assaults to send a letter to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. The Nostrand Avenue Merchant's Association, PLGNA, 300 Midwood and 300 Rutland Block Asociations, St Gabriel's Episcopal and many others worked on or approved the draft. In sum, we asked for more "positive" police presence and cameras to combat what we felt was a growing sense that we were ceding ground to the criminal element, in particular gangs and drugs. Felony assaults were up in the 71st Precinct, and longtime residents as well as newcomers felt that police were nowhere to be found.The letter that resulted, which was devised by consensus, looked like this. Months later, the Q hadn't heard a reply, so after fishing around we found a copy of the response. Here it is:

To my mind, it is essentially a form letter saying blah blah blah, with one major exception. The claim is made that in 2011, the 71st absorbed 80 rookies from the Police Academy as part of an Impact Zone. Say what? Where? I haven't seen them. Is this this part of the anti-terrorism thing I hear that happens over in the Lubavitcher-heavy portion of the neighborhood? I'm scratching my head and looking for more than dandruff on that one...