Two Brooklyn precincts have been vying for the right to police the still-under-construction Barclays Center when it opens in Prospect Heights this year, and now the Post reports that one has emerged victorious and won all the precious overtime that will inevitably ensue. The arena is in the boundaries of the 88th Precinct, but if the Post is correct, the 78th Precinct will actually be responsible for policing it. That's because the 78th's station house is much closer to the arena than the 88th's, which is over in Fort Greene. Nevertheless, some people in Fort Greene—and not just cops—are a tad disgruntled about the decision.
The 78th mainly covers Park Slope, which has a lower crime rate than the neighborhood's police by the 88th Precinct. The Barclays detail will likely result in more cops being added to a special detail in the 78th Precinct, and some say the 88th could use that extra manpower a lot more. "The 88th Precinct will be affected by the arena just as much as the [78th Precinct] — if not more — so we should be getting the extra cops because crime is already higher here,” one anonymous Fort Greene "activist" tells the Post.
The 78th Station house is a block away from the arena, and one source at the 78th argues, "The overtime was going up whether we got the arena or not. If something happens at the arena and a cop isn’t around, most people are going to walk into our [station house] to report it because we’re across the street. They’re not traveling all the way to the 88th, so obviously, our workload is going up. And don’t get me started with the traffic and scalpers. Yes, many people are looking forward to more overtime. But the arena is going to be a nightmare to deal with."
