Village residents vent at 6th Precinct meeting over e-bikes, public drug use and shoplifting

Captain Jason Zeikel, commanding officer of the 6th Precinct, addressed quality of life issues at the precinct Community Council’s Feb. 28 meeting at Our Lady of Pompeii Church in the West Village.

Photo by Barbara Russo

West Village and Greenwich Village residents expressed concern about numerous quality-of-life issues plaguing their neighborhoods at the 6th Precinct Community Council meeting on Wednesday.

Captain Jason Zeikel, the precinct’s commanding officer, got an earful from a crowd of nearly 75 attendees during the session at Our Lady of Pompeii Church in the West Village, where he reported that year-to-date serious crime around the command was down 27%.  

But this impressive crime decrease refers to major crime that includes murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and grand larceny auto; it does not include quality-of-life issues and occurrences.

Attendees shared many concerns about every-day offenses that continue to riddle the precinct’s communities. Several brought up the rampant use of e-bikes, as well as public drug use and intoxication.

West Villager Amy Lopez-Cepero, said she is tired of e-bikes and e-scooters “terrorizing” the West Village and neighborhoods throughout the city. 

“It doesn’t seem like the police anywhere in the city are doing anything about the e-bikes,” she said. “They’re not licensed, they’re not plated, and these guys are terrorizing sidewalks.”

Zeikel explained that for safety reasons, police officers can not chase a moving e-bike, but they’ve been successful in confiscating many vehicles. 

Retail theft is another major problem in the precinct, and it is one of Zeikel’s top priorities.

“Our pharmacies get pillaged. The Sunglass Hut, Lululemon, gets pillaged,” Zeikel said. “We try to put resources there when we can, we work with them to try to make apprehensions, but it’s a problem.”

Another attendee zeroed in on homelessness. She said she is…