Chief James Secreto, Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Queens South (PBQS), was the special guest of the Jamaica Rotary, where his men and women are honored monthly for a job well done.
“I made it my business to be here,” said Secreto, who noted that he will personally call each of the honorees to congratulate them. “This is too important to miss. The courage and heroism some cops exhibit never cease to amaze me.”
Joe Iaboni, President of the Jamaica Rotary, called Secreto a “community-oriented person” whose 30 years of experience make him a good leader for PBQS.
The leadership of the NYPD, said Iaboni, can be credited with the good work of its members in keeping the city – and Queens – safe.
And two members of the Force who are doing their part are Sergeant Jack Shapiro and Officer Adam Jangel of the 103rd Precinct.
On February 12, through informants and footwork, the pair executed several search warrants for drugs and firearms. In total, six individuals were arrested and two .45 caliber semiautomatics, one of which was stolen from Maryland, were taken off the streets.
The Commanding Officer of the 103, Deputy Inspector Charles McEvoy, was also honored.
On Monday, February 22, McEvoy and Jangel were driving when they heard shots fired. They sprang into action, and three people were arrested and five weapons were taken off the streets. However, two people were shot, one fatally.
“We were very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time,” said McEvoy. “The best part was getting the guns off the street.”
Next up was the 113th Precinct, who recognized Alexandros Kalagiros and Aaron Lohman, who, while on patrol in Rochdale Village on February 13, noticed an individual who resembled a robbery suspect.
After determining it was the perp, Kalagiros and Lohman stopped him and observed a .9mm in his possession. The suspect, said Deputy Inspector Kristel Johnson, had multiple priors, including making a weapon while in jail. He was also wanted in Virginia.
Officers Jose Severino and Michael Prioleau of the 102nd Precinct were the next to be honored for going above and beyond the call.
On February 6, the pair was just ending their tour at about 9 p.m. when they got a call of shots fired.
They responded and found the victim, who said that as he was returning from the store, three suspects with guns approached him. After a tussle at the door, the victim locked himself in a bathroom and his pit bull attacked the perps, who fired and fled on foot.
Severino and Prioleau employed logic and went to the 111th Street station on the “J” line, where they arrested all three and confiscated the guns.
“That’s why I put on the uniform every day, because of guys like you,” said a proud Secreto, who was presented with a “Welcome to the Rotary” cake and wished a happy belated birthday.
