83rd Precinct’s Top Cop Introduced To Bushwick
The 83rd Precinct’s new commander introduced himself to the residents of Bushwick at the 83rd Precinct Community Council’s Tuesday, Feb. 21 meeting at the command’s Bushwick stationhouse.
Barbara Smith, the 83rd Precinct Community Council president, announced that Deputy Inspector Stephen Capasso has been transferred from the 83rd Precinct to the neighboring
75th Precinct in East New York.
She then introduced the new commander of the precinct, Deputy Inspector Anthony Tasso.
Tasso, an 18-year veteran of the NYPD, was most recently the commanding officer of the 88th Precinct in Fort Greene. Prior to that, he was executive officer at the 73rd, 90th and 84th precincts in Brooklyn.
“It’s going to be a pleasure to work with you,” he told the crowd. “Hopefully I could serve the neighborhood of Bushwick as well as [Ca- passo] did; hopefully even better.”
“I’m very comfortable with the things that affect Brooklyn neighborhoods,” he stated, but added that “it’s going to take me some time to really digest the neighborhood and figure out what the problems are.”
Quality-of-life issues will be a large focus for Tasso, who stated that “it might be the little things that affect you.”
“I’m a studier,” he added, noting that he reads crime reports and 311 reports on a regular basis. “When I read these reports and I see little things, little tips I could bring out to the public to try and prevent you from being a victim of crime next time, then I’m going to do that.”
“When I talk about crime prevention, I’m never blaming the victim,” he told the crowd, adding that he wants residents to be mindful of their surroundings. “There’s always going to be people in society who want what somebody else has. Let them take it from somebody else. Don’t let them take it from you.”
He then took questions from the crowd, with the first one concerning restaurant delivery bikes who allegedly disobey traffic laws and cause a hazard.
Tasso warned that bikes are subject to the same traffic laws as all other vehicles on the road.
P.O. Damarys Franco of the precinct’s Community Affairs Unit stated that the precinct has begun an outreach program to local eateries and other businesses that utilize delivery personnel, letting them know the rules of the road.
HIV testing
Jonathan Plaza of Wyckoff Heights Medical Center implored the crowd to get tested for HIV.
Plaza, who works in the hospital’s Positive Health Management unit, said that their private offices, located across the street from the hospital, offers a discreet place to get help for those with the disease as well as free testing for those who do not have it.
It was also noted that the program will also go “where the people are at,” offering clinics in HIV education out in the community.
Other news
Residents were told to call 911 if they see large groups of students congregating on street corners afterschool. Officers from the precinct will stop by and ask them to go home.
A.P.O. Ricardo Salcedo, who is retiring from the 83rd Precinct Auxiliary Unit, received a plaque from the precinct honoring him for his 33 years of service.
The 83rd Precinct Community Council meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the precinct stationhouse, located at 480 Knickerbocker Ave.
