Community Magazine October 2009

56 Community Magazine Heights, read a feature story in the newspaper about a 12-year- old cancer patient. The article mentioned that the ailing girl, whose doctors estimated that she would die in another two weeks, regretted never having the opportunity to ride a horse. The Captain, with determination, a generous heart, and good connections, arranged for a horse to be delivered within an hour. The girl rode the horse with a glowing smile extending from ear to ear. As it turned out, that was the young patient’s last day of life. She died that night, but not before fulfilling a childhood dream, and getting a firsthand look of just how beautiful a place the world could be when its inhabitants look out for one another. As members of a minority group in New York, observant Jews owe a particular debt of gratitude to those NYPD officers who show respect to the values we hold dear. When a tragic accident took the life of a Jewish motorcyclist on Ocean Parkway several years ago, Sergeant Kevin Fitzgerald of the 61 st Precinct arrived at the scene and stayed in the pouring rain, searching with a flashlight for all of the victim’s remains. Realizing the emphasis placed by Jewish tradition on preserving the dignity of human remains, the sergeant did not leave the scene until the retrieval of all the victim’s remains was complete. He did not consider his job fulfilled until he had fully satisfied the religious needs of the victim and his family. Saluting the 70th Precinct Here in our own backyard, the men and women of the NYPD’s 70 th Precinct have deservedly earned widespread acclaim throughout the community for their diligence and hard work in keeping our neighborhood safe and secure. But what is perhaps not as widely recognized is the generosity and “tender loving care” that many of the precinct’s officers have shown to those who need it. Last year, a deaf, quadriplegic Hassidic boy was treated to a special gift by Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte and his devoted staff at the 70 th Precinct. In honor of the boy’s 12 th birthday, the cops picked him up at his home in a police car and gave him a free ride, inviting him to work the police radio. Approximately 30 officers joined the boy and his family for the birthday celebration. One year later, they attended the boy’s bar missva. We might have assumed that the people working in the stressful, pressured environment of law enforcement would seize every moment off-duty to treat themselves to well-deserved relaxation. It seems, however, that for many of these devoted officers, helping people has become a lifelong passion and obsession. Just last month, the three-year-old daughter of a destitute Brooklyn family tragically died. A group of officers from the 70 th Precinct assumed the responsibility for covering the funeral expenses and making arrangements with a funeral home and hearse company. The group also attended the service and offered much- needed consolation to the grieving parents. They gave their money, their time and their hearts to ensure that a poor family would receive the support it needed during its darkest and most painful hours. New York’s Nicest Of course, you’ve got to be good before you can be great. While the NYPD has earned a reputation for remarkable acts of selfless kindness, the officers have also become known for plain good manners, for simply being nice people. In a submission to an on-line police forum, a South Florida detective related his experiences with New York’s policemen during a vacation trip to the Big Apple. He befriended an officer while attending a game at Yankee Stadium, and the officer brought him down to field level before the game so he could get autographs and close-up photos of the players. Later in the trip, his grandfather, who was traveling with him, lost his camera and they went to an NYPD station to fill out the requisite police report for their insurance claim. The officer on hand prepared the report and took down the tourist’s contact information so he could send him some free NYPD gear and souvenirs. He also voluntarily treated the guests to a free tour of the facility, without even being asked. The poster expressed his admiration and gratitude for the NYPD’s conduct: “It really is great to see other LEO’s [law enforcement officials] out there that don’t act high and mighty for being with a specific agency, but rather share the ‘brotherhood’ feeling and give out that warmth and acceptance to make you feel comfortable.” The officers’ good manners have not been lost on foreign tourists, either. Another poster on the forum had this to say about his trip to New York: “I’m an officer from England and visited NY for part of my honeymoon. I spoke with a few of the NYPD guys whilst there and have to say that everybody I spoke to was polite, courteous and answered any questions I had openly…What a great city to police. I’m jealous!” A New Way to Fight Crime Perhaps not coincidentally, as these and other stories of courteousness and benevolence have surfaced in recent years, heartwarming statistics are showing a steadily decreasing crime rate in the city. In 2008, the crime rate in the Big Apple dropped for the 18 th consecutive year, and the city has repeatedly been named by the FBI the safest of the nation’s large metropolises. Here in the 70 th Precinct, the figures are nothing short of astonishing, with the total number of crimes cut nearly in half over the last ten years. According to NYPD statistics, the 4,679 criminal incidents recorded in the 70 th Precinct in 1998, dropped to 2,373 in 2008. Remarkably, the number of burglaries in this 10-year period has dropped from 1,291 in 1998 to 408 in 2008. The men and women in blue are waging the battle against crime on two fronts. Besides patrolling the streets and making arrests, they are also busy fighting delinquency and mischief by dispensing loving kindness. The stories told above are about people endeavoring to change the city from its roots, by serving as living examples of sensitivity and concern for all people – examples that we would be well- advised to follow as part of our collective efforts to make this city, and the world, a better place to live. So, the next time you see an NYPD police officer, go over and say hello. Tell him or her that you’ve read of some the remarkable things that the police do, and that you appreciate the department’s hard work and dedication. Maybe even offer them a snack or a drink. They deserve our gratitude – and a lot more of it than we could ever show.