The 111th Precinct Community Council held its annual awards night and a meeting, on Tuesday, June 1 in the conference room of the Adria Hotel. It was especially poignant.
Aside from marking the change of command from Deputy Inspector Scott Hanover, who returned to his former command to receive special recognition for his service to the community, to Captain Ronald D. Leyson, family members of the late longtime council president Sol Soskin got to witness one of the awards being named after him.
The meeting, headed by council president Jack Fried, included Assistant Chief Diana Pizzuti, commander of Patrol Borough Queens North, who had kind words for all the awardees.
Besides Hanover, honored were: Police Officer Victor Daniels, with the Paul Dorsey Police Officer of the Year Award; Detective George Raniolo, with the Paul Haley Detective of the Year Award and Auxiliary Police Sergeant Christopher Blackmon, with the Sol Soskin Auxiliary of the Year Award.
Rounding out the honors, the Civilian of the Year Award was given to custodian Ana Rivera and Explorer of the Year went to Amber Pyne.
Officer Daniels was recognized for his 64 arrests, including a traffic stop leading to a major weapons bust and Detective Raniolo for his 35 arrests in the last year, including of a career burglar who preyed on residents of both the 111th and 109th Precincts.
Blackmon was recognized for his more than eight years of service, including his participation in the rescue of a family from a burning vehicle. Pyne was honored for her completion of every program since joining the Law Enforcement Explorers. Rivera was lauded as “the hardest working person in the 111th Precinct” for making the station house “the cleanest precinct I’ve ever seen,” according to Pizzuti.
