You’re not in Kansas anymore. It’s Brooklyn!
Thieves last year preyed on dimwitted residents who left their doors open in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn.
There were 146 burglaries in the 84th Precinct in 2012 — and almost 50 came from residents who left their doors opened or unlocked, authorities said.
Cops said that the neighborhood has gotten so safe that residents weren’t bothering to lock up when they were home or went out.
The command had, on average, less than three crimes a day in 2012 — making it one of the city’s safest communities, Captain Maximo Tolentino, commanding officer of the 84th Precinct, said at a recent community council meeting.
However, this may have given residents a false sense of security. Some burglars haven’t needed to break a window or climb up a fire escape to pull off their heists — instead, they have just been waltzing into their victim’s apartments.
“Even if you’re home, you can’t assume it’s okay to leave your front door open,” said Tolentino.
He asked residents to be more aware of their surroundings, and to report burglaries more speedily to police.
“When your home has been broken into, it should be reported right away,” he said.
Some crime victims had waited days before telling the police, making the investigation much more difficult.
Most of the burglaries were crimes of opportunity, cops added.