At the February meeting of the 108th Police Precinct Community Council, attendance was low due to bad weather, but those present took in an informative meeting, efficiently handled, so everybody could head home through the rain in less than an hour. The crime report showed an unusual spike in car theft. The Cop-of-the-Month award was presented to an officer for his quick dispatch of a tragic situation. The latest Sugar Plum awards were conferred and plaques presented to seven persons and organizations that committed acts of beneficence.

The crime report, read by Commander Deputy Inspector Thomas Kavanagh, with occasional assistance from Lieutenant Mark Wachter, began with an update on a homicide that occurred late last year and can involve the precinct only because the victim’s body was found within its limits. The covered body of a woman was discovered under the Queensboro Bridge, and only after examination could the police conclude that she had been killed. Kavanagh said it was evident she was from Manhattan and might have been in the sex trade.

In the most recent 28 days, he said, there had been no rapes, robberies were down by close to one-third and felony assaults were even with the number in December. Burglaries and grand larcenies were down too, but the commander couldn’t resist citing the larcenous incident involving a woman who gave money to two persons who said it was a means of gaining $100,000. “Most of them happen on Rosie,” he said of such swindles and the place where they tend to occur, Roosevelt Avenue.

The grand larceny auto statistic was stunning, rising from six to 25. If six had been a little low, D.I. Kavanagh said, 25 was shockingly high. Several of these thefts were brought on because of keys left in the ignition while the owners went away. Once again he pointed to the desirability of Ford Econline vans, which have changed little since 1990 and thus have easily interchanged parts. Seven of them have been stolen recently in the 108th and 115th Precincts. In all, the crime rate was down 4 percent, though crimes on the transit sector of the command were up fourfold, mainly because of some snatched Blackberries. The commander was asked about several incidents, including a shooting at El Potrero, a bar at 46-12 Greenpoint Ave. The shooting victim “is known to police”, Kavanagh said, and might be cooperative in the case once he has recovered in the hospital.

Cop-of-the-Month was Patrol Officer Luis Santiago, who on the evening of Friday, February 12 was assigned to track a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run incident. That night, a deliveryman from a Chinese restaurant was struck and killed while on his scooter at 39th Street and the Long Island Expressway. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene. Having information about the vehicle’s license plate number, Santiago canvassed the area and interviewed several persons who might have had some indication of where the vehicle might be. It was soon found, and the driver was found shortly afterward. He was reportedly drunk when arrested and is now looking at a possible prison term of 25 years. A few days later, the dead man’s family conducted a service near the point where he was struck and killed. After the meeting, Santiago said that coming upon such an incident made him determined to find the vehicle and the driver quickly.

That same night, three persons in a van on 42nd Street between Queens Boulevard and 43rd Avenue attempted to break into a parked car, but were frightened off and fled. They were stopped and arrested on Queens Boulevard a little later.

The 11th annual St. Patrick’s Parade is to be held Sunday, March 7, running from 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue up to 56th Street and beyond. Once again, parking is prohibited on Skillman from Roosevelt Avenue to about 40th Street, beginning at midnight and lasting until 4 p.m. Detective Juan Toro said that announcements of the parking ban would be posted along Skillman Avenue beginning Monday, March 1.

The Sugar Plum awards, subtitled “Recognizing Goodness”, are presented to local persons or institutions that have done particular good works during the past year, such as reconditioning several old bicycles to present to underprivileged kids at the precinct’s annual Christmas party. That task was accomplished by Steamfitters Local 638, whose representative, Allen Ballek, was at the meeting to accept a Sugar Plum plaque. Each plaque is unique, being specially designed for the winner by Patricia Dorfman, Sunnyside artist and member of the 108th Precinct Community Council. (Ballek is the son of Diane Ballek, president of the Community Council.) The other six winners, in addition to Steamfitters Local 638, were Ruby Ng; Empire State Development Corporation; Mathis Pfohl Foundation; Con Edison; Skyline Credit Ride Inc., and Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 1.