Captain Greets Residents, Gives Crime Update In F. Hills
Residents and law enforcement officers gathered to welcome the 112th Precinct’s new commanding officer during the 112th Precinct Community Council meeting last Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Forest Hills stationhouse.
Capt. Judith Harrison, a 17- year NYPD veteran, replaced Capt. Thomas Conforti as commanding officer in July after Conforti was transferred to the same position at the 109th Precinct in Flushing.
“Captain Harrison is poised, dedicated and family-orientated,” Chief Diana Pizzuti, commander of Patrol Borough Queens North, said, “and I can think of no one better to build on this team.”
“She is receptive to challenges and your concerns,” Pizzuti added. “We are lucky to have her and she is lucky to have all of you.”
With her mother in the audience, Captain Harrison thanked her colleagues and constituents.
“This is a really great community with really great people,” the captain stated, “and I look forward to working with and for you.” Precinct Council President Heidi Harrison Chain then presented the captain with a plaque for her outstanding service to the community.
Turning to police matters, Harrison told residents the crime rate has risen in the precinct within the past month. The greatest area of concern is grand larceny, or as Harrison referred to it, “property driven crime.”
Grand larceny accounts for nearly 54 percent of all crime precinct-wide, including auto thefts, she noted.
The captain cited a specific incident in which a local merchant had stored $28,000 worth of merchandise in her van, only to have the vehicle and its contents stolen. Harrison called thefts such as this “crimes of opportunity” and urged residents not to leave valuables or “unattended articles” in their cars.
She also cautioned against leaving the keys in the ignition while running quick errands, and urged residents to “lock your garages” to prevent further property theft.
Residents voiced their anger over traffic safety issues throughout the neighborhood. Chief among their concerns was the lack of speed bumps near the playground at 68th Avenue and Booth Street, near Russell Sage Junior High School. One resident called the situation a “hazard” and observed drivers who “tear down the road” without stopping.
Harrison said she would request an on-site survey from the Department of Transportation, as well as a petition for a school crossing guard at that location.
Cops of the summer
In lieu of Cop of the Month awards, Harrison gave out what she referred to as “Cops of the Summer” awards.
“These awards capture the hard work and good efforts made during July and August,” she explained.
The first award was given to P.O. Michael Carswell, who accepted the honor of behalf of himself and his partner, Detective Braun, who could not attend.
In July, Carswell and Braun responded to an alarm going off overnight at a store on Austin Street in Forest Hills. While the front of the store appeared secure, the officers heard a noise and decided to walk around to the back of the building where they caught a vandal in the act of making graffiti.
The perpetrator was arrested on the spot and, according to Harrison, “was so proud of his artwork” that he took the officers to 16 other locations he had vandalized.
The second award was given to Police Officers Joseph Vella and Mark Finelli for a drug bust in July. The officers were on patrol when they spotted a car illegally parked at a fire hydrant. Further investigation revealed that the driver was smoking marijuana behind the wheel. The suspect admitted to the officers that he was also storing cocaine in the console of the vehicle.
During his arrest, the suspect attempted to bribe Vella and Finelli with a Movado watch and $3,000 in cash. The officers refused, and were able to get the suspect to go on record at the precinct house and admit to offering the bribe.
“The integrity of these officers is beyond reproach,” Harrison explained, “and this shows that the police officers in our community cannot be bought.”
The final award was given to Sgt. Frank Di Christina and P.O. Brian Benedict for thwarting a purse snatching near Ascan Avenue and Austin Street in August. The officers were patrolling near the intersection when they noticed a group of suspicious individuals.
They observed as the suspects began to follow and strike up a conversation with a female pedestrian talking on her cell phone. A suspect approached and tried to distract the woman while another perpetrator attempted to snatch her purse. Di Christina and Benedict moved in, pursued and apprehended the suspects.
Other honors
Chain presented Chief Steven Silks with an award thanking him on behalf of the community for his hard work and efforts. “We wanted to thank him for making sure we are safe,” Chain said, citing Silks’ patrols of neighboring streets during concerts at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium.
An award was also presented to Sgt. Roslyn Blackwell recognizing her work in the community with domestic violence prevention, school safety and youth issues. Blackwell also oversees graffiti removal efforts with Lt. Brian Goldberg, the 112th Precinct’s special operations coordinator, in which volunteers from Forest Hills High School help with local cleanups.
Awards were also given to members of the community who were not in attendance at the ceremony during the precinct’s National Night Out Against Crime event back on Aug. 5. Council Vice President Gail Gordon received an award thanking her for her service to the community. Local residents Betty Chen and Michael Fung were also honored for their generous donations and efforts.
Other news
Executive Assistant District Attorney Jesse J. Sligh from Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown’s office was also on hand to introduce Tim McGrath and Kaitlyn Flynn, two new assistant district attorneys assigned to the 112th Precinct. McGrath greeted the crowd and urged residents to feel free to bring their questions and concerns regarding prosecutions to himself or Flynn, who was on a police ride-along at the time.
Harrison and Chain closed the meeting by urging residents to follow the captain and the 112th Precinct on Facebook and Twitter. Harrison personally handles the precinct’s Twitter account, @NYPD112Pct, as well as her own, and promised to respond to all tweets and questions.
Both Harrison and Chain also use social media to disseminate vital information and up to the minute updates to the community.
The next 112th Precinct Community Council meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday night, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the precinct’s stationhouse, located at the corner of Austin Street and Yellowstone Boulevard. For more information, call the 112th Precinct Community Affairs Unit at 1-718-520-9321.
