The police pilot program in Cobble Hill is officially titled “Operation Spot It to Secure It,” but with an assist from the New York Post, let’s call it “Operation Dimwitted Yuppies,” in which the NYPD reminds locals not to leave valuable things visible in their cars. (Also, to lock their apartment doors, because this isn’t Mayberry.) Since the cops started taking photos of Apple products and the like in plain sight, then sending the image and a polite, vaguely Big Brother–ish reminder to the owner in hopes of shaming them into not being stupid, grand larcenies are reportedly down 47 percent in the neighborhood. It’s like having a tutor at the School of Hard Knocks.
