104COP Mulls Expanding Patrols Southward
The 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP) may soon expand its reach into Woodhaven, patrol members learned during their meeting last Thursday, May 9, at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall in Glendale.
Assemblyman Mike Miller and 104COP President Frank Kotnik stated they were recently approached by residents in Woodhaven interested in joining the volunteer patrol- which currently covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village- as a unit to serve as extra eyes and ears for law enforcement in both Woodhaven and Forest Park.
Miller expounded on the idea in a phone interview with the Times Newsweekly last Friday, May 10. The Woodhaven residents interested in joining 104COP also expressed a long-term intention of forming their own civilian observation patrol, he noted.
Joining 104COP, the assemblyman stated, would give those residents the opportunity to immediately make an impact in their neighborhood without having to clear bureaucratic hurdles and deal with expenses associated with starting their own patrol .” The 102nd Precinct would have to give its blessing since [104COP] would be coming into its precinct,” Miller said, noting that since 104COP is a well-established organization recognized by the NYPD, it has “everything that you would need for the patrol and gives [the Woodhaven residents] the opportunity to patrol their community without having to foot the bill for the heavy expense in getting started.”
“Especially with what’s been going on in Forest Park, this is a way to come right through and patrol everything,” Miller added.
At a meeting among local lawmakers and Parks Department officials, he stated, it was suggested that 104COP be allowed the ability to expand its patrols into Forest Park in order to supplement efforts by the NYPD and the Parks Enforcement Police.
Further meetings between Kotnik, the Woodhaven residents and local police are needed to hammer out the details. Miller observed that the expansion could take place in a matter of weeks if all parties involved are amenable to the plan.
During last Thursday’s meeting, Kotnik said the proposed expansion into Woodhaven would also require the approval of 104COP’s board of directors.
“The way I look at it, if we can get 10 people” in Woodhaven involved, Kotnik suggested, the expansion would work. Allowing the residents to start their volunteer patrol careers with 104COP, he noted, would enhance their ability to form their own civilian patrol in Woodhaven in the years to come.
“We’ll try to help them the best we can,” he said, noting that 104COP met the challenge when it was asked several years ago to expand its patrols from Glendale into neighboring Ridgewood, Maspeth and Middle Village. “At the beginning, it’s better to belong to a bigger group than to go out on their own.”
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Kotnik urged patrol members to assist with crowd and traffic control at the upcoming Memorial Day parades in Maspeth on Sunday, May 26, and in Ridgewood and Glendale on Monday, May 27. He thanked volunteers for their assistance in delivering 50 crates of non-perishable food to the Sacred Heart Church pantry collected during a drive held by 104COP and Assemblyman Miller.
Burglary posters distributed by 104COP and displayed throughout Maspeth and Woodside have been “paying off,” Kotnik stated. He was recently informed by Capt. Christopher Manson, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, that crime around the confines of the command is “drastically down.”
The next set of posters which 104COP will display around the area will be of a different nature, the patrol president said, as the advertisements will urge members of the public to join the patrol.
Miller reported that he and State Sen. Joseph Addabbo have secured thousands of dollars in funding for 104COP’s operations. Mark Pearson, 104COP member, added that he has been working with the office of City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley on securing additional proceeds for the patrol.
Kotnik stated some of the funds the organization has received previously- including proceeds from a charity golf outing held last year- are being used for the patrol’s operations and to purchase new equipment, including LED light bars for vehicles.
The assemblyman added he has secured funding for the Department of Sanitation to make an additional collection of public waste baskets on Myrtle Avenue between 73rd Place and Wyckoff Avenue on Saturdays. This pickup, he said, should help prevent garbage from piling up at overflowing baskets along the strip.
The next meeting of the 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol is scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 13, at 8 p.m. at St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall, located off the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and 68th Street in Glendale.
