72nd Precinct Debuts Neighborhood Community Officer Program To Build Community-Police Trust
Sunset Park’s 72nd Precinct is one of 13 precincts that is participating in a new NYPD program that strives to bring back the best elements of old-time policing — having beat cops who focus on specific parts of the neighborhood, building relationships and trust with residents — and pair it with the best of modern policing technology and tactics.
Police officers who are part of this program are called Neighborhood Community Officers (NCOs) and they undergo an application process and then extensive additional training before, during, and after — they get first dibs on extra training courses — taking on their new roles.
“Now, we are not just bouncing from 911 calls to 911 calls; we’re now finding out what’s behind it,” explained Captain Emmanuel Gonzalez, commanding officer of the 72nd Precinct. “We have divided the precinct into four sectors — there used to be eight — and each sector has two coordinators each. These managers do anything and everything in their power to conduct an investigation and do detective work. They identify conditions in their respective sector, and have [teams of] Sector Cars and Response Autos [to help them].”
Sector Coordinators can, on a daily basis, review 311 reports, respond to complaints, help detectives with video, make home visits, and generally have their “hands in everything.”
Sector Cars teams are “worker bees” who “respond to calls and investigate in a way cops used to not be able to do,” and Response Autos remain in their sectors, “freeing up Sector Cars to do tasks.”
The benefits of this method are already being seen, said Gonzalez and NCO Sergeant Esteban Alcaraz, a jovial man whose obvious enthusiasm for the project comes with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the NCO program and how the 72nd Precinct is and hopes to implement it.
“Just by going out and meeting people, NCO Daniel McGrath [this week] identified and found kids who were going around breaking car windows in Sector A[dam],” said Alcaraz. “Residents trusted him and told him about the problem, and he was able to address it.”
Officer McGrath is one of the two coordinators for Sector Adam, which covers Windsor Terrace and parts of Park Slope and Prospect Park. His co-coordinator is NCO Wilfredo Montez. Both have worked for around a decade in the 72nd Precinct in different units, ranging from crime to conditions to youth.
Sector Boy, led by NCOs Cassidy and Bonavita, covers Industry City, Bush Terminal, and the area including NYU-Lutheran Medical Center. This sector also includes the area under the Gowanus Expressway, which results in them dealing with the impact of lots of abandoned vehicles being present.
Sector Charlie, led by NCOs Philip Bounora and Carmela Andersen, covers the “heart of Sunset Park,” said Captain Gonzalez, including the park and the pool.
Sector David covers the southern part of Sunset Park and all of Eighth Avenue. It is led by NCOs Richard Fuentes and Sue Liu.
All sector coordinators have worked at the 72nd Precinct for several years.
One of the most notable ways that the 72nd Precinct will be managing its NCO program is the fact that they will be implementing monthly NCO Sector Meetings that will be open to the public — in the same way that the 72nd Precinct Community Council meetings are held monthly.
“This is key to our progress because the community can tell us problems and we can build that trust,” explained Alcaraz.
The monthly sector meetings should begin by summer, if not sooner.
Another benefit: more resources are pouring into the 72nd Precinct from the NYPD and Patrol Borough Brooklyn South. Thus far, the precinct has gained 35 new officers and is expecting 18 more. They’ve also gotten four new vehicles, two vans, and are expecting 4-5 more.
What do you think of the NCO program? Do you remember what it was like to have beat cops? Have you met your new NCO officers? What has been your experience?