BY JOSH TOWNER
As it prepares to roll out neighborhood policing, the 104th Precinct will hold a “meet-and-greet” with local residents on Monday night, Oct. 22, at Christ the King High School in Middle Village.
The event serves as a chance for citizens to meet and interact with their new Neighborhood Coordination Officers as well as to learn more about how neighborhood policing works.
Neighborhood policing is an approach to police work that calls for more frequent foot patrols, and keeps the same officers in the same area for extended periods of time. When officers become familiar with their area, the people in the community can become more familiar with them.
The NYPD hopes this approach will further improve relationships between police and the communities they serve, while encouraging local residents to keep a eye out on all activity in the area.
The 104th Precinct is one of the last commands in the city to implement the neighborhood policing initiative, which has been phased in across other precincts over the last two years.
Through the initiative, the 104th Precinct — which covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village — will be subdivided into four districts with about six “Neighborhood Coordination Officers” assigned to in each district. These officers will handle primarily 311 calls, as the 104th has more 311 calls than most other districts in NYC.
Doors to the meet-and-greet, held in the Christ the King auditorium, will open at 6 p.m., and refreshments will be available before the meeting begins at 7 p.m.
Those interested in attending must RSVP by Oct. 15 with the number of attendees by reaching out to the 104th Precinct Community Affairs Unit. You can contact Detective Thomas Bell at 718-386-2431 or Thomas.Bell@nypd.org or Police Officer Edyta Bielicka at 718-386-2446 or Edyta.Bielicka2@nypv.org.
