Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza
Neighborhood Coordination Officer Pete Paese catches up with a member of the community after Monday’s meeting at St. Helen Church.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Car crimes, idling autos, and panhandlers dominated the cop-community conversation Monday evening as the 106th Precinct Sector A (H B, Lindenwood) Neighborhood Coordination Officers led a brief but informative Safety Meeting at St. Helen Church.
The regular Build the Block confabs are an integral aspect of the City Police Department’s Neighborhood Policing program. The NCOs – in the case of 106 Sector A they are Pete Paese and Mike Petrizzo – are liaisons between the NYPD and the community, immersing themselves in their designated areas by organizing BTB meetings, attending civic gatherings, meeting with neighborhood leaders and clergy, visiting schools, and following up on previous incidents.
On Monday, Petrizzo noted that thefts of possessions left unattended in unlocked vehicles remain a consistent problem in the command, specifically in Lindenwood and Howard Beach.
“It’s been an ongoing issue for months now and it’s not stopping,” he added. “Please lock your doors.”
As far as panhandlers, who seem to be ubiquitous in the 106, Paese explained that police are pretty limited in how they’re legally able to respond to them.
“If they’re causing a traffic congestion, then we can step in,” he said, “but if they’re not causing a problem, there’s not much we can do.”
The NCOs on Monday also pledged to reach out to other City agencies—Transportation, Taxi and Limo Commission—for assistance regarding the long-standing problem of vehicles dangerously parked or idling along parts of the Belt Parkway and Nassau Expressway.
