Queens Police Brass Under Fire

"The relationship between the New York Police Department and the Queens community has deteriorated and now lies in tatters."
The observation from City Councilman Walter McCaffrey, a Woodside Democrat, signalled an all-out verbal attack on Queens Patrol Borough North on Monday at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City by the Councils Select Committee on Police Performance and Community Relations.
On the receiving end of the police criticism was Assistant Chief James Tuller, commander of the unit, who defended the departments practices.
The public hearing on police/community relations was the third in a series. The Select Committee was impaneled by Council 
Speaker Peter Vallone in the wake of the Amadou Diallo shooting and the killing of Patrick Dorismond, shot during a scuffle with undercover police after they approached him about drugs.
A heavy downpour kept attendance at the hearing to about 100 residents many of whom cheered when the Council members grilled Tuller and his aides on frisk-and-search policies and on what they considered to be a lack of police civility.
In his opening remarks, Vallone said the police have been "very successful in fighting crime and making our city safe. But there is also no denying that their success has come at great cost to the city. And we have paid for Safe Streets with the very principles of justice and equality on which our nation and our city are built."
Council members questioned police policies that pull cops out of the precincts in Queens for coverage at sporting events and demonstrations. "Why are our cops doing barrier duty in Manhattan and sent to Number One Police Plaza for other assignments when we are left with minimal protection in the precincts?" asked McCaffrey.
He called current police policy "a prescription for disaster" and demanded changes from the grim-faced panel of police brass sitting just a few feet away from the Council members.
Tuller appealed to the audience and Council representatives to hear him out. "We are committed to making the borough safe. We need to have mutual trust and must listen to each other about issues including alleged abuse and racism."
He differed sharply about charges of excessive police shootings.
"Such shootings are down by 25 percent," he said. "The use of deadly force has been reduced." Tuller assured his critics "most cops are professional and friendly."
Queens Council member Juanita Watkins challenged Tullers view of police attitudes. She cited incidents in which young men in their cars were stopped by police "for no reason and are not told why they are being detained and searched by police."
"Isnt it true that people dont have to give their names and cant be forced to show ID?" she asked. "Isnt it equally true you have no legal authority to stop a car unless there is a crime in progress?"
George Grasso, assistant commissioner for legal affairs, said that if there is "reasonable suspicion" a vehicle can be stopped. He added that police are trained on the frisk law and said that in the majority of cases they "exhibit professionalism."
Council member Karen Koslowitz of Forest Hills spoke of "broken promises year after year" when asking about increasing police forces in the central Queens precincts. "The numbers given me are always wrong," she said. "Theyre lower than the promised number."
Flushing was described as "bursting at the seams" by Councilmember Julia Harrison. "Pedestrians and traffic is in gridlock and theres been no help forthcoming," she said.
Panels of community members testified before the Council Select Committee. Many were critical of cops, but others lauded the officers for their efforts.
"We have to honor the job they do," said Celeste Balducci-Chapin, president of the 115th Precinct Community Council. "Every day they have to go to work not knowing what theyll be facing."
The hearings will be held in each of the citys eight police borough commands.