Top cops honored by Jamaica Rotary

There were special thoughts of giving back and thanks-giving at the most recent meeting of the Jamaica Rotary, on the day before the holiday.
“We are fortunate to live in a country like America,” said Jamaica Rotary president Joe Iaboni. “The NYPD in my book is one of the best in the world.”
In the 113th Precinct, Inspector Kristel Johnson honored Officer Matthew Kahan and Detective Rebecca Asman with the Edward R. Byrne Memorial Cop of the Month Award. In tandem, the pair put an end to an on-going feud between two groups. It stemmed back to June, at Foch and Guy R. Brewer Boulevards, where Kahan set up post. Under his watch, the problem subsided until November 5, at which time there was a dispute. Officers disbanded the fracas, but Johnson said that some residents of the Baisley Park Houses shot at the cops with paintball guns. Some video was obtained, and Kahan was able to positively identify some of the perps. And, said Johnson, it was Asman’s “persistence in getting the district attorney to levy appropriate charges” that helped resolve the matter.
In the 102nd Precinct, recently-promoted Deputy Inspector Armando DeLeon, for whom the Rotary purchased a special celebratory cake, feted Officer Joseph Martins, who apprehended a suspect wanted for numerous crimes in Kew Gardens, and who had been on the run for two months. DeLeon said that Martins responded to a burglary in progress on November 10, gathered information, and blanketed the area in order to arrest the suspect. “He was one of our most wanted criminals in the 102,” said the Deputy Inspector. The suspect has been charged with, among others, grand larceny and petit larceny. “Martins was able to remove a one-man crime wave,” said DeLeon.
The new Commanding Officer of the 106th Precinct, Captain Thomas Pascale, explained that Officer John Maderik, with 23 years of experience on the Force, serves as an example for younger officers. On October 26, there was a robbery in progress at 103rd Avenue. Responding officers got a statement from the 19-year-old female victim, who said she had been held up at gunpoint and that the suspect made off with $500. She also gave a description of the getaway vehicle. Maderik observed said vehicle, placed the suspect under arrest and recovered a defaced firearm. From start to finish, said Pascale, the entire incident only took 18 minutes. “He [Maderik] is one of our most active cops,” said Pascale, who noted that Maderik has received the honor before.
And for their work regarding a domestic violence incident, Officer John Dempsey and Sergeant Schmitt from the 103rd Precinct received the award. It was on October 20 when they were interviewing a female victim who said her live-in boyfriend pointed a loaded gun at her. The pair contacted the DA’s office, executed a search warrant, and recovered two guns – a .9 mm and a .380 caliber – as well as marijuana.
“This meeting is reflective of everything good in the Police Department and the borough,” said Assistant Chief James Secreto, commander of Patrol Borough Queens South (PBQS). “We make it work and we all get along together. These [police officers] are passionate about what they do.”