By Joe Maniscalco
A “go to” guy. A true professional. A special cop. Those were just some of the accolades heaped on Sgt. Kevin Cottingham this past week at Community Board 11. Although Cottingham has moved on to the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush, were he’s busy instructing a whole new generation of outstanding police officers, many in Bensonhurst remember the former 62nd Precinct Community Affairs officer as one of the best in the business. “He made me feel that I was a part of the department,” Community Board 11 Chair Bill Guarinello said before bestowing a plaque on Cottingham. Guarinello recalled that even when things got hot in the neighborhood, Cottingham was always a man who kept his cool. “Even when we were on the opposite sides of an issue – sometimes I can be contentious, sometimes [District Manager] Howie [Feuer] can be contentious – Kevin always had a way of settling us down,” Guarinello said. “The good news is that he was there for us and tried to resolve issues as quickly as he could.” Cottingham served in the 62nd Precinct for 14 years, the last four or so as the Community Affairs officer. “Kevin was special,” said Feuer. “He even got along with me most of the time. He is a great guy and an asset to our neighborhood. And whatever he does in the future, I’m sure he’ll be an asset to New York City.” Assemblymember Peter Abbate offered his own wishes for Cottingham’s future with the NYPD. “We had a lot of discussions over a lot of different issues over the years,” he said. “We are going to miss you, but hopefully you will be back with us as a captain.” Cottingham’s former commanding officer at the 62nd Precinct, Captain Frank Cangiarella, recently marked his first year at the 1925 Bath Avenue stationhouse. After assuming the post, one of the first things the young captain did was identify his “go to” people. “Kevin was one of those ‘go to’ people,” Cangiarella said. “Whenever I had a problem or concern, I could go to him and I knew if he didn’t have the answer, he could get me the answer. It was a happy and sad time when I heard he got promoted. Happy to see him moving on and moving up. Sad at losing that key person.” City Councilmember Vincent Gentile hailed Cottingham as both a partner in civic affairs and as an outspoken constituent. “I’ve know Kevin beyond the 62nd Precinct,” said Gentile. “He was a constituent of mine when I was the state senator and I covered his area on Staten Island. We were working on issues that were affecting Kevin as a constituent and then we worked on issues on this side of the bridge that affected my area in Brooklyn. The NYPD should really be proud of Kevin. Chief Fox, you made a good choice in moving Kevin up.” Assistant Chief Joseph Fox, commanding officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, explained the importance of a good community affairs officer to a neighborhood. “There’s this place you go when you get an inquiry from somebody that you don’t know how to handle, and that’s Community Affairs,” said Fox. “There’s a reason for that. You’re putting people in good hands because they’re able to field those questions that the hardworking police officers who are out there unfortunately don’t always have time and sometimes don’t have the experience. I’ve been a borough commander for almost seven years now and I’ve never seen a community affairs officer better than Kevin Cottingham.” Fox also thanked Cottingham’s many partners in the Bensonhurst community. “As with all partnerships and friendships it’s reciprocal,” said Fox. “So I want to thank everyone here for being a friend to Kevin and for helping him grow to the level he’s at. Without it we’d be like one hand clapping. Reducing crime is our primary mission but just as important is working with the community and letting people know why we’re doing what we’re doing.” The chief predicted that Cottingham could be back in Bensonhurst in a new capacity by the summer. “I make a strong prediction that within a few months when the summer comes he’ll be in a position with me where you’ll see him out here in Bensonhurst,” Fox said. Cottingham is looking forward to the prospect. “The police have a lot of partners in Bensonhurst,” he said. “But the one true partners that we do have is Community Board 11. They were always the first ones to come forward to help us. They made my job very easy to get things done. It was a great partnership that we had.” In accepting Community Board 11’s plaque, an overwhelmed Cottingham called Bensonhurst his “home.” “Hopefully, shortly sometime around when the warm weather hits, I’ll be around a lot longer,” he laughed. For now, Guarinello said that Cottingham’s successors at the 62nd Precinct have some big shoes to fill. “They’re sort of flopping around in them,” he said. “But we know that they can call on you and we hope that they can fill those shoes.”
