Deputy Inspector James Alles took over command of the 52nd Precinct, ending the lengthy (three and a half year) run of Deputy Inspector Joseph Hoch, who moved on to run the Bronx transit division.
Alles, who came to the Five-Two after a two-year stint as the commander of the Four-Five in the east Bronx, took some criticism for not attending certain community meetings. He was well received, however, at a November meeting at Our Lady of Refuge Church where the largely Mexican immigrant audience complained of being targeted by robbers and rampant drug sales in area buildings. He brought his top lieutenants and other borough brass to respond to residents’ concerns, and community leaders report an increase in uniformed police presence since then in the area, which has been besieged by the drug trade for two decades.
In the precinct, official crime numbers remain virtually the same as last year, although there have been 13 murders (as of Dec. 21) as opposed to 11 last year. There was a 12 percent reduction in auto theft.
admin
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.