By Carlotta Mohamed
Two Queens officers were honored Dec. 4 at the ASPCA’s fourth annual Appreciation Luncheon for their service to help fight animal cruelty in their communities.
The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) hosted its celebratory luncheon at its Adoption Center on Nov. 8. This year’s honorees were presented with appreciation awards for the critical roles in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting cases of animal cruelty and neglect in 2018, and providing medical care for victims.
Fourteen members of the New York City Police Department, three prosecutors and one veterinarian were recognized for their tireless efforts to help animals through the NYPD/ASPCA Partnership.
Deputy Inspector Courtney Nilan, the commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill, was honored for her work in her previous post as executive officer of the 101st Precinct, where she demonstrated leadership skills in combating animal cruelty in the Rockaways.
Nilan was instrumental in the development of the Neighborhood Coordination Officer Program, which has proven an invaluable asset in protecting the lives of animals within the command. With her guidance, the ASPCA has been able to provide large-scale medical care to the residents of the Rockaways and their pets.
Nilan was an invaluable asset during the “Ready in the Rockaways” event held the past year. She continues to provide support to ongoing programs in her role as the commanding officer of the 102 Precinct. Nilan has provided ASPCA training opportunities for the members of her command, and has also been supportive in the ASPCA’s ongoing effort to educate the members of the public through community events and council meetings.
Police Officer Paul Egerter was recognized for his continued assistance with animal abuse cases within the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway.
In 2018, Egerter was integral in assisting the ASPCA in the removal of more than 30 cats and five dogs from an ongoing hoarding situation in Far Rockaway. As a Neighborhood Coordination Officer, Egerter always followed up on all complaints involving animal-cruelty related calls and ensured a proper conclusion.
Egerter has conferred on several complaints of alleged animal cruelty and is currently involved in a follow up case with members of the ASPCA Community Engagement team.
Egerter continues to provide a supportive presence at all NYPD/ASPCA outreach events and is a great resource to ASPCA members operating in the field.
“The ASPCA is honored to reflect not only on the contributions of our partners this year but throughout the past five years of this life-saving collaboration between the ASPCA and NYPD,” said Howard Lawrence, vice president of ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement. “The ASPCA relies on dedicated professionals in the NYPD, prosecutors’ offices and the veterinary field without whose contributions we could not continue our progress against animal cruelty in New York City.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmoha
