52nd Precinct Neighborhood Crime Stats (2006-2011): Overview

In late September, the Norwood News obtained crime statistics for each of the 15 sectors (or neighborhoods) in the 52nd Precinct, which includes all of the neighborhoods that make up the Norwood News’ primary coverage area, including Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Fordham-Bedford, University Heights and Kingsbridge Heights. In the graph below, we have aggregated all of the statistics in each neighborhood to give you a six-year sample of how crime trends compare in each neighborhood.

Editorial: Three Years Later, Two Viable Armory Options

Whether it becomes a regional ice sport center or an innovative town hall-style marketplace, the coming redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory will be a positive addition to the Bronx landscape.

A Dinnertime Police Raid at Norwood Restaurant Turns Up Little

Fresh off an overnight stay in jail, the relatively new owner of Sal’s Pizza and Restaurant in Norwood said his very public arrest during dinnertime last week was based on erroneous information given to police and that he was the victim of a robbery setup. But police say they executed a valid search warrant and came away with enough evidence to charge the owner with a couple of misdemeanors and a violation.

Editorial: Sector Stats are Back, But Legislation Stalls

Just before the Norwood News went to press for this issue (Oct. 4-17), we received a letter with a packet of valuable information from the New York City Police Department. Almost exactly five months after we filed a Freedom of Information Law request, the NYPD had delivered crime statistics for each of the sectors within the 52nd Precinct, which includes all of the neighborhoods in our primary coverage area — Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, as well as University and Kingsbridge Heights. That means we now have crime statistics on your specific neighborhood, not just the monolithic precinct as a whole. We will be analyzing this data and offering it to you in coming editions of the paper.

Op-ed: To the Men of the Bronx, Mentors Wanted

For many of us, summer brings to mind childhood memories of baseball games, barbeques and trips to the beach. But for thousands of young people in the Bronx who grow up below the poverty line in single-parent households, summer is just another reminder of what they don’t have.

Bronx Biz: Fordham BID Expands Sanitation Services

In plans unveiled at a press conference in September, the Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) announced plans to expand its sanitation services east on Fordham Road to Washington Avenue to include One Fordham Plaza (the property) as well as the outdoor vendors’ market. The services are also being offered north on Webster Avenue to include Cookies Department Store.

Passage: Reflecting on My Father in the Bronx

Michael Popowich Sr. was born on March 14, 1944, and lived until June 15, 2012. It is my sad opportunity to share this with his friends and neighbors in the Bronx. Dad grew up in Manhattan, and was raised by my Uncle Walter Kunick, who also lived in the Norwood section of the Bronx by the Reservoir Oval — the same neighborhood where I lived with my father for over 40 years.

Letter to the Editor: Stop “Stop and Frisk”

With respect to the front page story in your March 8 – 21 issue regarding “stop and frisk,” it seems that for a police officer to use his authority to stop and search anyone at random and without cause is truly reprehensible. No one should be subjected to random frisking at the whim of a policeman merely because he can. Ditto for detaining anyone for questioning without any good cause. There have already been numerous stories in the dailies about police overstepping their authority and this issue is no different. There are those who may call this racial profiling, but

Op-ed: For Our Nation, Ignorance Would Not Be Bliss

Imagine a nation that does not know where its residents were born, how much they make, what type of housing they are living in, where they work or how they get to their jobs. This nation would not even know what percent of its population had finished high school or college, what type of heating fuel households are using, how many are going without health insurance, what the divorce rate is, or where its veterans are living.