Photo: 102nd Precinct Cops of the Month PO Angie Colon (second from r.) and PO Gurvinder Bachhal (second from l.) received their awards on Tuesday from Deputy Inspector Deodat Urprasad (c.), commanding officer; Capt. Danielle Raia (far r.), the precinct’s executive officer; and the leadership of the 102nd Precinct Community Council. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
Noting that domestic disturbance calls are among the most “dangerous jobs” to which police officers respond, Deputy Inspector Deodat Urprasad, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, on Tuesday presented the Cop of the Month award at the Precinct Community Council meeting to two officers who sustained injuries after courageously rescuing a woman from her violent spouse.
Urprasad said Police Officers Angie Colon and Gurvinder Bachhal “used minimal force” in responding to an April 17 incident in which a man was choking his significant other with his hands. After pulling the couple apart the man reached for a knife. Colon and Bachhal were able to protect the victim and neutralize the threat without firing a single shot.
“The bravery they showed is remarkable,” Urprasad said, adding that the unpredictability of domestic disputes makes them so precarious.
“They can be calm at first,” he noted, “but can become very volatile.”
Urprasad, who has been leading the command that serves Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, and a portion of Ozone Park for a little over a month, reported that overall crime is down about 19 percent in the 102nd, compared to this time last year. However, robberies and felonious assaults seem to be trending upwards. Urprasad noted that thieves are targeting smartphones and tablet devices, with many incidents involving teenage victims and perpetrators.
“I take it personally when young kids are getting robbed,” Urprasad said, pledging to dedicate precinct resources to take “a notch out of the robberies.”
With summer just around the corner, several residents expressed concern over noise and other quality of life issues. Urprasad said that noise complaints tend to spike in July and August, and indicated that in the coming weeks he plans to assign an officer to focus solely on 311 cases in the command.
By Michael V. Cusenza michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
