North Miami Beach, FL – Police plan an intensive crackdown on street crime in the area north of the Mall at 163rd Street after residents complained of a spike in violent muggings.
“I don’t think that a woman with a purse who looks vulnerable could walk from 163rd Street to 183rd Street without getting mugged,” said Alan Sakowitz, a resident in this Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, who organized a meeting, to air crime complaints.
“For the taxes we pay, we’ve got to insist on more police protection. It’s just beyond belief,” Sakowitz said.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
A joint effort by the city and county, will be deployed to the neighborhood, North Miami Beach Police Chief Linda Loizzo said. Officers will scrutinize even routine crimes, taking fingerprints and looking for informants, to weed out the bad guys, Loizzo said. “We did do this in Skylake, and it did work,” Loizzo said, adding that residents themselves may be stopped for traffic violations and quizzed as officers look for intruders in the neighborhood.
‘If you don’t live in the neighborhood, we’ll address the issue, `What are you doing here? Why are you speeding?” Loizzo said.