Officers Lauded For Two Good Arrests
Two police officers were honored for their service as the top cops of the month at the 108th Precinct Community Council meeting in Sunnyside last Tuesday, Feb. 26.
Police Officers Ryan Dowling and Angel Arroyo were recognized as Cops of the Month in the 108th Precinct for February for catching an alleged sex assailant and a suspected burglar.
On Jan. 15, while patrolling on the 7 line, Arroyo stopped a man that was walking through train cars, which is illegal but only a misdemeanor offense.
Police officers checked the man’s name for outstanding warrants and found none.
Arroyo and fellow officers then went further, calling the precinct to ensure he was not wanted before releasing him.
The Precinct checked the name, found out that the man was wanted for criminal sexual act and arrested.
Officer Dowling was recognized for foiling a burglary and affecting an arrest following a car stop on Feb. 20. Police confiscated a loaded gun from the vehicle.
Both officers were presented with plaques donated by the Times Newsweekly to honor their efforts.
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Capt. Brian Hennessy, the 108th Precinct’s commanding officer, also gave the group an update on crime in the area.
While street crimes like robberies are down, telephone scams are on the rise, according to Hennessy.
“We are getting a lot of scams in the area,” he said.
One scam occurring with increased frequency is the “Green Dot” scam, in which a suspect phones a resident telling them they owe money to a company, or that a family member has been arrested, injured or in need of assistance.
The impostor will then tell the person to purchase a Green Dot prepaid debit card from a local store, add cash value and then call back with the serial number so the funds can be obtained by the perpetrator.
Hennessy cautioned residents to be aware and not fall for any variety of this hustle.
He urged anyone with a question about a power, heat or light bill to contact that company directly, and to be aware that perpetrators sometimes use caller ID’s that can disguise a phone number to read out as a company exchange.
Anyone who has doubts about their account or bill, Hennessy said, “if anybody calls (saying they are) from Con Ed, call Con Ed.” This also applies to callers purportedly representing other utilities.
This type of scheme tends to prey on senior citizens and recent immigrants.
He added, “Unfortunately for us a lot of the victims are elderly.”
The 108th Precinct Community Council meets on the last Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services located at 43- 31 39th Street in Sunnyside.
