Golf Outing Benefits 104COP
All are invited to hit the links in support of a local group of volunteer crime fighters during an outing at the Forest Park Golf Course for the Glendale/104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP) scheduled to take place next month.
Tee time for the event is 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 22, at the golf course located on Forest Park Drive just off the Jackie Robinson Parkway. The event is being hosted by The Avenue Restaurant.
For a $150 donation, each guest will receive free parking, use of a golf cart, greens fees (a shotgun start), a continental breakfast, food or beverage tickets, a commemorative souvenir, prizes and a two-hour buffet.
The proceeds from the golf outing will go to 104COP to help fund their operations, as the volunteer patrol is facing a cash crunch due to rising expenses, a sluggish economy and reductions in government funding.
Founded by Glendale merchants and residents in May 1976, the volunteer patrol-then known by the acronym GCOP-was formed to assist the 104th Precinct as extra “eyes and ears” to combat criminal activity in the neighborhood, especially graffiti vandalism.
In 2000, GCOP expanded their operations at the request of the 104th Precinct to include Ridgewood, Maspeth and Middle Village in its coverage area. The organization was then renamed 104COP.
Along with volunteer members patrolling the streets during nighttime hours, 104COP provides additional security during street events such as parades and religious processions. In its ongoing war on graffiti, members have also supervised the community service of convicted vandals .
The volunteer patrol also provided assistance to the 104th Precinct in times of crisis. During and after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, 104COP members worked at the 104th Precinct’s stationhouse around the clock for four days in order to allow a depleted police force to respond to emergencies in the area.
When the blackout of 2003 struck, 104COP members were again pressed into service, providing traffic details at major intersections where the stoplights were not functioning.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management (OEM) selected 104COP in 2002 to be the first participant in the Community Emergency
Response Team (CERT) program. Patrol members were provided with training on life-saving techniques to help prepare them to respond to disasters that may strike.
For additional information on 104COP and the golf outing, call 1- 718-497-1600 or 1-347-725-3853, or visit www.104COP.org.
To purchase tickets, send a check payable to the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol by mail to GCOP, c/o The Avenue Restaurant, 71-22 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY 11385.
