Captain Thomas Conforti says the new plan for online meetings is a way to open lines of communication and give residents access to information that is vital especially to quality of life and safety concerns without having to leave their homes. Patricia Adams/ The Forum Newsgroup
It’s been in the works for months now, but the long awaited debut of an innovative concept to raise awareness in the 112th Precinct is on the verge of its premier.
On Monday night December 2, at 7:30 p.m. the 112th precinct Community Council will sponsor it’s first online Town Hall meeting.
Commanding Officer of the 112, Captain Thomas Conforti says the idea came from a combination of occurrences.
When a rash of burglaries broke out in the precinct months ago, they dealt with it by putting together a multi-prong strategy. Getting the public involved, was one of the key components, in addition to focusing on crime prevention by encouraging the installation of cameras, keeping lights on and of course keeping doors and windows locked at all times.
In addition, the precinct put together a Town Hall meeting held at the beginning of April, where there were more than 400 residents in attendance.
“After the meeting, several arrests were made,” Conforti said, “and the burglaries decreased but were still occurring.”
It was actually at a burglary that took place over the Labor Day holiday that put Conforti on a more determined path than ever to find a way to reach more people. “I personally responded to this call and I was shocked to learn from the victim of the crime that they had no knowledge that the pattern was going on.”
Conforti explained to the resident that there had been a number of meetings to keep community members aware of the situation and others like it, but the victim responded that even if they knew about the meetings, it would just be too difficult with everyone working in their house to get to a meeting.
Most of the people he asked afterward also said that they would not be able to commit to the meetings. So the Captain and the president of the precinct council, Heidi Harrison Chain sat down together to develop a strategy that included the possibility of utilizing a web site known as spreecast.com––a social video platform that connects people through video conversation.
“Spreecast is a way for people to simply sign on to their computer, log in to the forum and either to go on as a guest or just to watch and listen.
The site is extremely easy to use. You have the option to just sign on and watch but there is a feature that allows you to sign in and participate in the meeting and ask questions if you wish to. “That’s the beauty of it,” Conforti said. “You can get involved or just listen, either way you have access to vital information without leaving your home.”
You can sign in through Facebook, Twitter or any of the social media site. For those who don’t have those accounts they can use an e-mail address.
So after months of testing, planning and setting up the system, the precinct will host the opening meeting on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.
The Precinct Council asks that you send questions in prior to the meeting to council112@yahoo.com
The link to sign in at the meeting is:
http://www.spreecast.com/events/n112th-precinct-council-meeting-dec-2013
The Precinct Community Council asks that you please join them in launching what looks to be a promising addition to involving the public in the fight against crime and the preservation of the quality of life. See you Monday. Be there. You can get involved right from home. All participation can remain anonymous.
By Patricia Adams
