The 104th Precinct issued high praise at this week’s community council meeting for police officers who helped to bring down a pot farm in Ridgewood.
Phil Corso/The Forum Newsgroup
Their story was like a scene out of a movie.
A high-speed police chase ensued after officers busted a pot farm in Ridgewood back in October, leading to the arrest of a Manhattan man with others likely to follow, authorities said. Those top cops received high honors Tuesday night after Capt. Christopher Manson, commanding officer of the 104th Precinct, introduced them as some of his main players.
The precinct paused during its monthly community council meeting and thanked the efforts of field officers Sgt. Timothy Hinteman and officer Michael Varrecka, the anti-crime unit’s Sgt. Michael Jones and officers P.O. Jeffrey Rogers, Robert Sowden, Derrick Keane, Sean McCarren and Jennifer Cinque.
“These officers did an outstanding job,” Manson said. “A whole lot of marijuana is now not on the streets because of the actions they took that night. That’s why they are recipients of the officers of the month awards.”
Manson said the precinct obtained a search warrant for the Cody Avenue warehouse in mid-October and found themselves neck-deep in 580 pot plants standing as high as seven feet with an estimated street value of over $500,000 by the time they were finished. The raid also led to the arrest of 50-year-old Hector Rivera, but only after he tried fleeing from officers who were staking out the warehouse long after dark.
Rivera was arrested after trying to drive in reverse and speeding away from police.
“This individual was no stranger to the law,” Manson said, adding that Rivera was also on federal parole. “He’s going away for a long time.”
Manson also alerted residents of a new string of burglaries, dubbed the citywide number six pattern, in which perpetrators break into businesses throughout the western Queens 104th Precinct through the rooftop and hit ATMs and cash registers for cash. The captain said similar crimes have occurred at the nearby 103rd and 113th precincts and just recently spread into his territory.
“The businesses they are targeting have no alarm systems or surveillance,” Manson said.
Mario Matos Jr., community council president, said the council’s resolution for the new year would be to increase membership and participation with the precinct. He said the council would be implementing new interactive ways to hold public meetings, like broadcasting them over the Web.
As for an update on the most recent crime statistics, the precinct reported an overall 4.1 percent decrease in the year’s crime compared to last month’s 3.6 percent. Aside from slight upticks in homicides and grand larcenies, Manson said the 104th saw decreases in five of the seven major crime categories with two weeks left in the year.
“We’re in cruise control,” Manson said. “The precinct is doing very well.”
While there have not been any recent incidents in regards to the ongoing Forest Park rapist case, Manson also noted there were plans in place should another incident occur. According to the captain, the 104th has deployed plain-clothes officers to the park to keep an eye out for suspicious individuals to keep the park safe. But no serious incidents have occurred since the most recent Aug. 26 rape in the park, he said.
“The precinct continues to target the hotspots,” he said. “We are targeting the right things and we will continue to.”
By Phil Corso
