Violent crime rises in riverside PARK
Riverside Park has seen a spike in violent crime, including incidents of rape, robbery and assault, according to an analysis of NYPD data by a city parks advocate.
Altogether, violent crime increased 25 percent within the city’s 1,500 parks in the year ending June 30, according to Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates. Riverside Park had recorded 41 total crimes in the year ending July 1, trailing only Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens, Croft found. Riverside had 18 violent crimes during the period, ranking it fourth citywide and first in Manhattan in that department.
“I think that would surprise people,” Croft said. “It’s a very heavily used park and quite frankly the city doesn’t allocate enough resources. They allocate a fraction of the dedicated park police that that park needs.”
In August, a woman reported being raped in the park near Riverside Drive and 70th Street, one of seven similar incidents in Riverside Park over a period of two months. Also in August, a group of teens on bicycles robbed an elderly man. Also, a woman walking her dog had to fight off a man trying to grope her.
Between April 1 and June 30, four robberies, one felony assault and five grand larcenies were reported, according to Croft’s research.
Officials at the 20th Precinct declined to comment for this story, the 24th Precinct could not be reached and the department’s office of Deputy Commissioner, Public Information issued a statement saying park crime makes up 1 percent of all city crime.
“City parks represent 14 percent of New York City land mass, which makes them one of the safest places in the city and the country,” the statement said.
The city’s Parks & Recreation Department issued a statement saying the safety of park visitors is “a priority.” “Thanks to NYPD, with support from Parks Enforcement Patrol, crime in parks remains low,” the statement read.
Croft suggested that adding more officers from the Parks Department to patrol the park would solve these problems.
“First and foremost, we need a presence,” he said, noting the difference between Riverside Park and Central Park, which has its own police precinct.
He also criticized the Parks Department and the City Council for downplaying the rise in crime.
“In all these communities, everyone is saying we need dedicated park police, but I’ve yet to meet a single elected official who thinks park crime is a serious issue,” Croft said.
Croft predicted that crime would fall over the winter months, as it tends to do, but advised park users to stay vigilant.
By not wearing earbuds and running with a buddy, for example, people can protect themselves against potential attacks.
Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com