By Bob Harris
Captain Patrick Heaney of the 107th Precinct has sent a letter to Community Board 8 members saying that “anyone illegally parked by a school will be issued a summons, without warning.” The letter states that the 107th Precinct has “received numerous complaints about double parking around schools at arrival and dismissal times.”
It seems that during inclement weather, especially, parents drive their children to and from school, and to keep their children from getting wet or too cold, park in bus stop areas, double park and block traffic. Buses can’t even get into the block sometimes. Children going to or from the buses are forced to walk into the street or between cars, creating a very dangerous situation.
Captain Heaney asks parents to park legally a block or two away from the school and then walk their children to the entrance. He says police will be assigned to duties at each school to enforce the rules and give a summons when necessary. I had been on the PTAs of PS 26, Ryan J.H. S., and Jamaica H.S. (where I had been PTA president) so I knew of the parking problems for decades. I hope this current crackdown works, but the 107th Precinct will have to assign police more or less permanently and I don’t know if we have enough officers assigned to the precinct.
The 107th Precinct has a number of programs to serve the community which people can become involved with, such as being an auxiliary police officer. One joins the program, receives training and then assists the police at different times. The participant can earn up to 3 college credits after receiving 90 hours of training; a number of St. John’s University students in a law enforcement program have volunteered to be auxiliary police in the 107th Precinct. Call P.O. Robert Carmondy at 969-5168.
The Youth Officers conduct an Explorer Scout Program for young men and women ages 14 – 20 every Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the precinct. There is also a Cadet Corps where cadets can earn up to $36,000 for college expenses with guaranteed placement as a New York City police officer. The Youth Officers also will make presentation to groups to discuss child safety concerns. For information call P.O. Carmondy at 969-6081.
The Crime Prevention Officer will speak to your group about personal safety, will survey your home or business and recommend ways to improve security and coordinates the VIN etching of your car windows and marking of the airbags. Call Crime Prevention Officer P.O. Joseph Iorio at 969-5998.
Detective Lou Mango is one of our Community Affairs officers, the 107th Precinct's liaison to the community. He coordinates the Blockwatchers Program, the Civilian Patrol and Drug Busters Program. He is ready to speak at your group. Call him at 969-5973.
Captain Patrick Heaney, commanding officer of the 107th, is always available at the meetings of the 107th Precinct Community Council in the precinct every fourth Tuesday of the month, except during July and August. Any resident is invited to attend these 8 p.m. meetings to listen, ask questions or request action for a problem. The captain also attends civic and community group meetings with his officers.
GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK
A Bronx resident, Manny Gomez, who is an Army first lieutenant, is pushing a bill in Congress to make police departments wipe out arrest records in certain circumstances. It seems that in 1995 Gomez was approached by police officers on the No. 6 train and asked to come to the precinct because he looked like someone they were looking for. He did, they checked and he was promptly released. Unknown to Gomez, this was considered an arrest which was listed as a “voided arrest.” Four years later, while in the Police Academy, he was dismissed because he had a “police arrest.” After he complained a number of times, the NYPD finally is letting him back into the academy. He is continuing to push the “Clear Your Good Name Act” in Congress and is also suing because he feels that minority police candidates are screened more strictly than white candidates are.
BAD NEWS OF THE WEEK
Many people are again getting excited over the size of our rat population. This concern is a cyclical activity the way the rat population grows. Rats feed on garbage and will multiply when people don’t package their garbage properly in sealed garbage cans or plastic bags with ammonia in or on them. The more people throw edible garbage into vacant lots or down sewers or in the halls of their apartments, there will be rats. Poison is only part of the total picture of control because rats can become resistant to poisons if we just rely on it. Education of people is the best way to control rats, but some people are dirtier than rats.
