From The Peopling of New York City
Introduction
The purpose of this research topic was to expose what Staten Islanders thought about the crime in their neighborhoods and whether or not the police do an effective job in responding to these crimes.
-"We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police. –Author Unknown
"The Interview Process":
My general interviews consisted of getting Staten Island residents to express their opinion of crime in the community and police effectiveness. All of the interviews began with the following base questions:
1. If you live on Staten Island, what neighborhood do you live in?
2. Is there a lot of crime in your neighborhood?
3. What is your opinion of crime on Staten Island?
4. Do you think the police do an effective job of limiting crime on SI?
Memorable Quotes from My Interviews:
Jose Pena: "...its gotten worse but still not as bad as other places." &
"They're more concerned about breaking up house parties and kegs than taking care of real crimes."
Jose Pena lives in the Willowbrook neighborhood of Staten Island, which according to him and several other interviewees, does not experience the increase of crime statistics suggest.
Alina Yu: When asked whether or not the police on Staten Island are effective in eliminating or preventing crime, she replied by saying, "No. they do not do anything. Sometimes they even flirt with girls passing by."
Alina Yu, resident of Mariner's Harbor, shares her discontent with police efficiency.
Andrea Cella: "I think all the police action is done after the fact, like looking for suspects. Not enough done to prevent them in the first place."
Like Jose Pena, Andrea Cella, student of the Macaulay Honors College, lives in Willowbrook but agrees the police could do more in terms of crime prevention.
The Problem?
Getting to the Scene of the Crime
No matter what neighborhood people hail from on Staten Island or what they have seen or heard, it seems to be unanimously agreed upon that police enforcement on Staten Island is greatly inefficient. In fact, fourteen out of fifteen people agreed that the police could do more to prevent crime or even believe the police are not doing their job at all. Many believe that the increase of crime in Staten Island is due to the police department’s inability to conduct their jobs correctly and comments were similar regardless of what neighborhood they lived in.
Thinking of a Solution...
An interesting thought comes to my mind as to why most people are unaware of the crime that occurs on Staten Island, and why so little is done to improve that apparent inefficiency of our police force. Could it be that so little is done to fix the problems with public opinion of crime on Staten Island has to do with the general public opinion of Staten Island? Perhaps the idea that nothing ever happens on Staten Island gives way for the underbelly of the borough to arise and take control of our suburban streets. It can be concluded that the prejudices the denizens of Staten Island have against the police department here were created by truth-and not of rumor-and that something must be done to correct the current system we expect to protect us. Could it be that all Staten Island’s crime issue needs is a little more attention on Staten Island as a whole? Its inhabitants can only conclude the answer to this question, for only they can determine the future of their borough and its perception from both within and without.
Staten Island's Alternative for Crime Prevention
Sources
- All photos used on this web page were gathered using public domain image websites
