Council honors students & cop of the month

A packed crowd filled St. Leo’s School auditorium in Corona for the latest meeting of the 110th Precinct Community Council. During the meeting, the community council awarded eight high school seniors with scholarships and bestowed cop-of-the-month honors on Officer Paul Scocca.
The students each received $500 scholarships for their winning 500-word essays about how the police and local residents of Elmhurst and Corona can improve their quality of life.
Essay topics ranged from how to increase resident involvement to how to decrease the number of gangs in the area.
The scholarship initiative receives funding from the Department of Youth and Development, facilitated by Councilmember Helen Sears. Her son, Stuart Sears, spoke at the meeting on his mother’s behalf.
“It’s good to know there will be a great future ahead for these students,” he said.
Timothy Fleming, a Regis High School senior heading to Villanova in the fall, wrote his essay on how alumni of local schools should help the 110th Precinct by serving the community near their schools.
Matthew Newsome, a senior at Newtown High School who is going to York College next year, wrote in his essay that residents should take a more active role in keeping their community safe, not just relying on police.
“The people should take action into their own hands, but responsibly and safely,” he said.
During the meeting, the 110th Precinct also bestowed its cop-of-the-month honor on Paul Scocca, a local anti-crime officer. Between April 10 and April 20, Scocca made three arrests. In one case, he arrested two men who robbed a gas station - one of whom was carrying a loaded firearm. In the other case, he pursued a man on the streets who was carrying a gun. The suspect fired shots back at Scocca and his partner, but Scocca followed the man and made the arrest. His heroics in those two cases are primarily what earned him the cop-of-the-month award.
“This means a lot to me,” Scocca said. “But I couldn’t have done this without my team, my partner, and all the other officers.”
After Scocca and the students were recognized, the precinct opened the floor to questions from residents. A few concerned citizens voiced their opinion that the police force has not been responsive lately, that the police have ignored frequent calls, and that there were no longer beat cops in the area.
One local resident, Ernestine McKayle, complained about the lack of police presence. “I’m from 57th Avenue,” she said, “and there are never any beat cops there. It’s frustrating.”
Deputy Inspector Richard Napolitano listened to the complaints during the meeting, but told the crowd he would meet with residents individually afterwards to further address their concerns.
Many of the students who won scholarships for their essays feel that the local police force is doing a good job.
“I think they’ve been doing a great job,” Newsome said. “They just haven’t been fixing the problems at a rate the residents want, which is why there is some frustration.”
Tita Del Giudice, a local resident, found the meeting to be beneficial overall. She said that the complaints from residents are not necessarily a reflection of the police doing a poor job, but simply a way for the residents to ensure they remain protected.
“That old saying goes, ‘The squeaky wheel gets the grease,’” she said.
Del Giudice thought the best part of the meeting was the way it honored the scholarship winners.
“You hear so much about how bad schools are,” she said. “It’s good to see some smart kids that show signs of hope.”
The 110th Precinct Community Council will be holding a Night Out Against Crime event on Tuesday, August 5, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Hoffman Park in Elmhurst. For more information, call 110th Community Affairs at 718-476-9310.