78th Precinct Commanding Officer Leaving For Highway Patrol
Deputy Inspector Michael Ameri, who’s been the Commanding Officer at our 78th Precinct since December 2011, is leaving the position to head up the NYPD’s Highway Patrol Unit.
DI Ameri’s move, as reported by the Daily News, comes after a busy year with a big focus on street safety. They took on drivers who failed to yield, enforcement and education of cyclists, and more, and connected with the community through public forums and by adding a traffic safety meeting prior to their monthly Community Council meetings.
His promotion to a prominent transportation command has been lauded by Right of Way, a street safety activist group, noting in a statement that under his command, the 78th “has established itself as the most traffic safety-conscious precinct in the five boroughs,” but adding that his work has only just begun.
“Having the Collision Investigation Squad headed by an NYPD veteran like Inspector Ameri who ‘gets it’ that dangerous drivers are perpetrators of violence — and that the pedestrians they kill and injure are victims of preventable crimes, not of accidents — is potentially a big step forward in keeping New Yorkers safe,” said Right Of Way organizer and statistician Charles Komanoff. “Everyone will benefit if the NYPD can turn the corner from traffic enabler to pedestrian protector.”
Even though he’s leaving, DI Ameri has become fond of the area, and took to the 78th Precinct’s new Twitter account to say goodbye.
“As my final day approaches…I leave the 78th Pct with a heavy heart,” he wrote. “It is a bittersweet transfer for me!!
“I would like to thank every community member, politician, BID, community board, civic groups for the support and friendship over the yrs..,” he continued. “Thank you all for allowing me to be your Commanding Officer.”
Captain Frank DiGiacomo, of the NYPD Detective Bureau, will take over as Commanding Officer at the 78th. You can meet him, and more of our local officers, at the 78th Precinct’s annual National Night Out Against Crime, coming up on Tuesday, August 5 from 5-8pm at Grand Army Plaza.