__________________________________________Ask the DA

 

I would like to remind my readers that if you have a quality of life or safety concern and are not able to travel to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s central office in downtown Brooklyn, we have neighborhood offices located throughout the borough where you can go for help.  

            Each neighborhood office is open one day a week and is staffed by trained counselors who provide assistance to visitors on a variety of issues. These include problems such as elder abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, drug or gang activity, prostitution, burglary or robbery, gangs, identity theft, fraudulent loans and other frauds, and even Medicare, Section 8, and landlord-tenant disputes.  

            Thanks to the generosity of community organizations which have lent us their space, there are now 25 neighborhood offices located in Bay Ridge, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Brooklyn Heights, Brownsville, Bushwick, Canarsie, Coney Island, Cypress Hills, Dyker Heights, East New York, Flatbush, Greenpoint, Homecrest, Midwood, Park Slope/Gowanus, Sheepshead Bay, Sunset Park, and Williamsburg. Additional offices will open soon in Crown Heights and Flatbush.

            To expand our outreach, we have also added a “mobile” neighborhood office, which can make community visits by van on request.

            The neighborhood offices are an important tool in my efforts to fight and prevent crime. By being out in the community, my staff has learned much more about pervasive problems such as predatory lending, mortgage fraud, and abuse against the elderly. Armed with this information, we have been able to educate the public on how to avoid being victimized by predatory lending schemes and various financial frauds, especially those targeting seniors.  

            To find the location and hours of the neighborhood office nearest you, or to request a visit by our mobile van, please call our hotline at 718-250-2555, or visit my office’s website at www.brooklynda.org.

To have your questions answered in a future column, send them to asktheda@brooklynda.org.

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