Some police precincts have been criticized in the past for trying to lower crime statistics by not taking criminal complaints from some victims, but the NYPD says it wants people to know its doors are open for anyone looking to file a complaint. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.
The police department is trying to get rid of the stigma that a precinct is an unfriendly or even scary place to visit when you need help.
"We don't close for holidays. We don't close for major events. Open 24 hours a day, year-round," said Deputy Inspector Fausto Pichardo, commander of the 43rd Precinct. "Feel free to walk into any of our facilities to file a police report."
That's exactly what Frank Calderon did when he went to the 43rd Precinct in the Bronx to file a complaint that a neighbor vandalized his vehicle.
"I'm an elderly person. I am 65. The guy has threatened me a number of times. He passed by my window and say, 'Come out,'" Calderon said. "I got to come out. I don't like problems, but I had to come out and speak up."
The NYPD is encouraging victims of all crimes to file complaints.
"You should not be afraid to walk into any precinct," Pichardo said. "We never ask your status as a resident or citizen of this country. It is irrelevant to us."
The first person you will talk with is the receptionist, who can be a civilian worker or a uniformed officer. An officer will then fill out the complaint form, and a detective may speak to you as well.
"It's just kind of, check off boxes of where the incident happened and the resident and the house, the time and so forth. Along with, they will write a story of exactly what happened," Pichardo said.
Although no precinct wants to see its crime stats go up, the complaints help with targeted enforcement.
"It is important to us because now, we can start our investigation. Now, we can say, maybe we need more police presence in this particular area," Pichardo said.
And if you're a victim of a violent crime, don't go to a precinct. Rather, call 911 right away.
"That person could be in the area, and the police officers will take you and put you in the police car so you can see if you can identify anybody who committed that crime," Pichardo said.
There are also complaints that don't deal with crime.
"One of the most common reason is someone who lost something," Pichardo said. "I lost my passport, I lost my wallet, I lost my credit cards."
You can file a complaint at any precinct. It doesn't have to be the one in the area where the incident happened, and don't let officers tell you that.