By Gary Buiso
Sometimes, acting nervous can be a bad guy’s downfall. Just ask Officers Daniel Bonilla and Oliver Lopez, cops with the 76th Precinct whose recent arrest of a burglary suspect earned them “Cop of the Month” honors for January from the 76th Precinct Community Council. The cops were on patrol in an unmarked car on the night of Jan. 13 and spotted a man walking along Court Street, “acting nervous and carrying a black bag,” according to Captain Michael Kemper, the precinct’s new commanding officer. The cops, working on instinct, got out of their car to question the man, who immediately dropped the bag he was carrying and tried to flee, Kemper said. But he didn’t escape Lopez and Bonilla, who investigated further and extracted a confession from the man. Inside the black bag was a television set and other property, Kemper said. The suspect allegedly cut a hole in the back vent of a local resident’s home, he added. The suspect, who has multiple arrests, confessed to the burglary, as well as smoking crack cocaine before the break-in, Kemper said. The duo, who work an overnight shift to help combat a spate of commercial and residential burglaries, could not attend the council’s Feb. 7 meeting. Kemper said he asked the cops if they wanted to take the night off to attend the precinct council’s meeting, but they declined. “They’d rather be out there,” Kemper said.
