Jamaica Rotary, in existence for 77 years, is unique in that every month the club honors “Cop of the Month” from the local precincts.
And on Wednesday, September 29, Chief James Secreto and Jamaica Rotary president Joe Iaboni – along with a special guest, a Rotarian from Trinidad and Tobago – honored the men and women in blue who keep the city safe.
In the 113th Precinct, Commanding Officer Kristel Johnson leads by example.
The former Deputy Inspector was recently promoted to full Inspector. She honored Sergeant Janine Shank and Officer James Zozzaro for apprehending two suspects in possession of $20,000 worth of narcotics.
On Monday, August 9, the pair observed a black Subaru with a Virginia license plate; they executed a car stop at Rockaway Boulevard and the North Conduit after they saw the motorist failed to signal. Immediately, the two occupants admitted that they were in possession of drugs and paraphernalia. The officers recovered two-and-a-half pounds of crack and other narcotics, worth $20,000. Both suspects were apprehended, and one was wanted in Maryland for weapons possession and drug trafficking.
Captain Armando DeLeon of the 102nd Precinct then honored Police Officers Rose DeLeon (no relation) and Pablo DeJesus for not only responding to one crime, but two on August 16.
The pair responded to the scene of a gunpoint robbery at a jewelry store, where they saw the perp fleeing, got help from a witness, did a canvass of the area and apprehended one of the two suspects while recovering a bag of jewelry. DeLeon and DeJesus then responded to a burglary in progress; they established a perimeter, arrested the second suspect and recovered a firearm. Both perps, according to the Commanding Officer, had rap sheets.
In the 106th Precinct, new Executive Officer Captain Thomas Shalley honored Detective Nathaniel Tauber, with 10 years on the Force, who “has personally made hundreds of arrests and assisted in thousands of others.”
While on a drug sting, Tauber saw a suspicious male, arrested him and recovered a fully-loaded .25 caliber handgun, as well as marijuana. After interrogating him, the detective got enough information to solve a three-year-old homicide in the 113th Precinct.
A gunpoint robbery on September 2 led to the arrest of a suspect by Sergeant Kevin Kee and Officer Joseph Andreno – and helped close out a pattern.
The cops saw a man fitting the perp’s description and stopped him, but he fled. Following a foot pursuit, he was arrested and linked to various commercial robberies; additionally, his gun was linked to a homicide.
Secreto, with nearly 31 years in the job, commended all the officers for a job well done, and thanked the Rotary for feting the NYPD.
“They do tremendous work every month,” he said, reminding all in attendance that Patrol Borough Queens South will be participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, the American Cancer Society’s premier event to raise awareness and dollars to fight breast cancer, on October 17. It is a cause close to his heart, and he encourages everyone to sign up or sponsor by visiting makingstrides.acsevents.org.
