By COLlive reporter
NYPD officers from the 71st Precinct may soon become familiar faces to Crown Heights residents with the introduction of a new community policing program.
The NYPD has introduced a comprehensive community policing project, where officers will spend a third of their time away from responding to 911 calls in order to better get to know the neighborhood, officials said.
This week, the new program was expanded to include Crown Heights, local police officials said.
At an event at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens on Tuesday, the Commanding Officer of the 71st precinct Norman Grandstaff introduced the new program to local residents.
The Neighborhood Policing Plan divides precincts into four or five sectors that correspond, as much as possible, to the boundaries of actual existing neighborhoods. Several “neighborhood coordination officers,” or NCOs, are assigned to these sectors to work the same neighborhoods on the same shifts, increasing their familiarity with the local residents and local problems.
For one-third of their shift, these officers will not be responding to 911 calls, and instead use that time attending community meetings, visiting local businesses and talking to local residents.
The intention of the program is to get officers to connect to an area’s residents and business owners, and have a better feel for the every day problems of those who live and work there, officials said.
The 71st Precinct area was divided into four sectors, including Washington Avenue to New York Avenue and Eastern Parkway to Empire Blvd.; Empire Blvd. to Clarkson Ave. and Ocean Avenue to New York Avenue; New York Avenue to Rochester Avenue and Kingston Avenue to Empire Blvd.; and Empire Blvd to Clarkson Avenue and New York Avenue to Utica Avenue.
“We are looking forward to the new NCO program,” said 71st Commanding Officer Grandstaff. “It’s a new way of policing which really makes the community and the NYPD partners in making the community safer for everyone.”
Please take into account that a person who becomes a police officer is committing to run toward the danger. Most of us could never do that job. I will defend myself or those close to me if necessary, but to go around all day looking for danger, no. This project seems to me a good-faith effort on the part of the police to really become more a part of the community. I think we should go out of our way to welcome them. To #’s 5 and 6, grow up please. It’s a chillul Hashem for a Jew to disobey… Read more »
that guy pulled me over once
nice to see you again (sarcastic)
More Tickets YAY!!
Like the eruv, every yukel and his opinion. You need to recognize that good or bad, it isn’t helpful and really is damaging to publicly disparage the police force and its attempts to enforce law and order in an increasingly challenging domain. Right or wrong what does that accomplish and what might it cost. History strongly suggests that everyone is reading these comment sections. To assume the force in acting in bad faith based on biased speculation is unwise. If you want an informed view and you want to be helpful, just like the eruv, you need to rely on… Read more »
Another excuse for them to stand on corners smoking, using their cell phones, or gossiping. Yes, I have seen all 3. And when it’s raining you’ll see them sheltering under awnings on Kingston.
How much did this fancy presentation cost the taxpayers? Did they actually introduce the beat officers and say which streets are they “patrolling?” Or is it all a smokescreen from the crime levels in CH?
It’s enough already that it takes them forever to respond to calls .
Now it’s going to be disastrous.
One big joke just an excuse to show they are doing something,and waisting city tax payers money doing nothing instead of responding to calls .
We are in trouble
It’s so important for police officers in our precinct — at all levels — to understand the Jewish people in this neighborhood and our lifestyle. One Shabbos that was also 4th of July many years ago, with two toddlers and a baby on the way, I got locked out of my apartment, and my husband was out of town. I had no family locally and didn’t know what to do, so I went to the 71st precinct. The officers told me to call a locksmith and didn’t understand why I couldn’t do that on Shabbos. (Never mind that on 4th… Read more »