Community Magazine July 2012

The excitement and youthful enthusiasm for progress seems almost out of place for the seasoned, silver-haired representative from Bay Ridge. But even after nearly three decades in public service, New York State Senator Marty Golden still sounds committed as ever to change the world... starting, of course, with Brooklyn. Representing the State’s 22nd Senate District for four terms, Senator Golden still often reflects back to his career as one of New York’s “finest,” during which he served in the NYPD for ten years, winning numerous awards for his achievements. His accomplished career in the police force came to an abrupt end when, in 1983, he suffered a serious injury while making a narcotics arrest. daVE GoRdoN Tough On Crime Through the eyes of a former cop, he could tell you about how New York has become markedly safer in the past 20 years. “We live in the greatest city in the greatest nation in the world,” he said. “Eight and a half million people here… While each administration has its own difficulties, at the end of the day… it’s safer.” Around the time Mayor Giuliani took office, he added, the crime rate had soared to the extent that “you didn’t even have that [level of crime] in third world countries.” The Giuliani administration was credited with making New York a safer place to visit and live, and since then, organized crime has been on the wane, law enforcement is stronger, and walking along the Big Apple’s streets is no longer a risk. Indeed, statistics show a steady decline in crime over the past decade, and Senator Golden says that Mayor Giuliani’s approach is the model that should be followed to continue that trend. “When you had that kind of mentality take over with accountability, standard operating procedures…we did an outstanding job. You need the right people, the vision to achieve those goals going forward.” To this end, Golden recently cosponsored legislation which he hopes will help law enforcement officials prosecute crimes involving damage to and theft from houses of worship. In 2006, he wrote a tough law that mandates prison for the possession of a single loaded illegal firearm. And in recent months, Senator Golden spearheaded a new agreement whereby the national DNA databank can help law enforcement solve crimes and protect victims from dangerous criminals. In speaking of the urgent need for safer streets, Senator Golden hearkens back to last July’s kidnapping and killing of nine-year- old Leiby Kletzky, who was abducted in Boro Park while walking home alone for the first time from day camp. Senator Golden is also reminded of Etan Patz, the six-year-old Manhattan boy who in 1979 was abducted and killed when walking to the school bus alone for the first time. Senator Golden says he is a firmbeliever in taking all precautions necessary to beef up safety. “I stand behind installing cameras to monitor the community. We need to understand what’s happening on the street, or in the event of an attack, or if someone has medical needs. We’ll be able to monitor it at the federal level and to be able to … take features in a database and focus in on the perpetrators.” In his view, security isn’t just limited to government initiatives. Individuals and organizations could equally set up security systems, and the Senator hopes that the State will provide subsidies to encourage private security measures. “We want to encourage people to do it without them incurring their own cost,” he said. GOLDEN BOY Photo courtesy: LesterMillman.com Brooklyn's Senator Golden and Majority Leader Skelos, at a meeting on education with Teach NYS in Albany. 30 Community magazine