83rd Pct. Tackles Relations With Youths
Building a better bond between Bushwick youths and local police officers was a hot topic at the 83rd Precinct Community Council meeting last Tuesday night, Apr. 17.
The issue was raised during the session at the 83rd Precinct’s stationhouse after several parents informed Deputy Inspector Anthony Tasso, the force’s commanding officer, that their children expressed a general attitude of mistrust toward police officers.
One mother in attendance claimed that she tries to encourage her children to support local police and assist them when needed, but that her youths feel that some officers have treated them and their friends with a lack of respect.
“I tell my kids to trust the police officers,” she said. “They don’t think that the police officer respects them.”
Another mother claimed that her son began to feel the same way about police after being stopped and questioned on two separate occasions.
“My son was terrified and then he was angry,” she claimed. “It was that one cop that put that experience in his mind. … The way they treated him wasn’t nice.”
Tasso, along with several members of the precinct council and the community, acknowledged that while it may be an uphill battle to change that mindset among youths, parents and police should work together to shatter such misconceptions about law enforcement.
“It’s a constant battle, but it’s one you can’t quit at,” said P.O. Melvin Kendall of the 83rd Precinct Youth Unit. He mentioned that the precinct offers a wide range of programs which allow officers to interact with children in the community, including the Explorers and Cadets.
“Not all cops are the best on the street, but they’ve got to do their work,” added Bishop Michael Clarke. “We cannot solve all the problems that kids have or teenagers have with police. .. But when you get your kids closer to the police through the parents, trust me, it changes the relationship.”
Nadine Whitted, district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 4, stated that parents need to teach children to be cooperative with police if they are stopped and questioned.
“We can’t have it both ways. We had a lot of crime problems, gang problems to the point where people were running away from Bushwick,” she said, credited the efforts of the 83rd Precinct over the years in fighting crime throughout the community. “If you didn’t do nothing wrong, teach them not to be afraid. If you feel like a police officer has done something you feel is not respectful, take a note, get their names and license plates and come here” to the precinct council.
Barbara Smith, president of the 83rd Precinct Community Council, said the organization would dedicate its June meeting to youth issues. She invited all residents to come to the session with their children so they can meet with Tasso and other police officers and learn more about what police do in their neighborhood.
In the meantime, P.O. Damarys Franco of the 83rd Precinct Community Affairs Unit encouraged residents to call her office about any problems prior to that session.
Losing IMPACT zone
Over the next two weeks, one of the two Operation IMPACT areas within the 83rd Precinct’s confines will likely be eliminated, Tasso stated.
The NYPD currently has two IMPACT zones in the precinct in which additional officers are assigned to patrol areas where crime is prevalent. One of the zones is located in an area bounded by Knickerbocker and Wyckoff avenues between Myrtle Avenue and Starr Street; the other is within an area bounded by Broadway and Bushwick Avenue between Greene Avenue and Halsey Street.
Approximately 79 officers are assigned to the IMPACT zones, Tasso stated, but in the next two weeks, as many as 38 of them may be reassigned to other locations in the city. The loss of these officers, he explained to residents, would require one of the IMPACT zones to be eliminated, and the remaining zone would be reconfigured.
“We will probably have a new zone and officers. That’s not to say it will not be covered. We’ll gain about 13 permanent officers at the precinct,” and that these officers would likely be assigned to footposts within the discontinued IMPACT zone, Tasso added.
Crime report
Though the 83rd Precinct remains up 16 percent year to date in overall crime, Tasso noted that major felonies have been “starting to level off” over the last 28-day period. The command was “even in crime” during the four-week stretch, highlighted by decreases in robberies and burglaries.
“Assaults are most of our problem,” he said, pointing out that many of the felony incidents have occurred on overnight hours among intoxicated individuals who visited local bars. Tasso stated that police officers have recovered knives and other weapons used by assault suspects in each case.
With that in mind, he informed residents, the precinct is stepping up its efforts to get knives out of the hands of criminals. The command has conducted undercover “buy-andbust” operations in which stores caught selling knives or blades to individuals under 21 years of age have been fined.
Police will take further “civil enforcement action” against storeowners who continue to make the illegal sales, Tasso added.
Undercover stings have also been set up to catch stores which illegally sell alcohol to minors, the commander noted. Officers are also looking to take action against problematic bars and nightclubs in the area that are frequently cited for violations of the law.
“We’re not here to close down businesses, but time and time again, if the establishment is a nuisance, it’s in everyone’s best interest to take the problem out.”
Officers at the meeting also distributed a sketch of the suspect wanted for the Apr. 6 rape of a woman at the DeKalb Avenue L train station on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border in Brooklyn. According to Tasso, the suspect-whom police believe lives in the area-escorted the victim from an area bar to the station, where he raped her.
“Hopefully, someone’s going to recognize him” from the wanted poster and provide information to police to capture the suspect, the deputy inspector stated.
Other news
Officer Franco announced that family and friends of Leonida Marisa Nunez, who was killed in a domestic violence incident, will hold a walk in her memory in Bushwick on Saturday, May 12, beginning at noon at 465 Harman St. The walk will conclude at Maria Hernandez Park, located on Knickerbocker Avenue at Starr Street.
The 83rd Precinct’s Youth Unit will make summer camp applications available on May 1, according to Officer Kendall. The day camp program includes a variety of safe and fun activities for children throughout July and August.
For additional information, call the Youth Unit at 1-718-574-1735.
The next 83rd Precinct Community Council meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night, May 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the stationhouse located at the corner of Knickerbocker Avenue and Bleecker Street in Bushwick. For more information, call the 83rd Precinct Community Affairs Unit at 1-718-574-1697
