After Only Two Months On The Job, Rookie Cop Praised For Cuffing ‘Bad Dude’

Criminals beware! The 61st Precinct has a new eagle-eyed cop.

Rookie officer Bryan Baroniunas, barely two months on the job, was awarded “Cop of the Month” Wednesday for cuffing a career criminal who tried to burglarize a construction site in Gravesend.

The precinct’s commanding officer, Captain Winston Faison, said his new recruit busted a “bad dude” who might have committed six or seven burglaries that week if he slipped away.

Police say the thief, 39-year-old Andrew Prestipino, has 15 prior arrests, five of which are for burglary.

“One guy off the street makes a big difference,” said Captain Faison.

Officer Baroniunas and a partner responded to a report of a burglary last month at a construction site at West 7th and 86th streets. After a witness provided them with a description of the suspect, they canvassed the area and picked up Prestipino on a nearby street.

Baroniunas was recognized for the arrest at the 61st Precinct Community Council meeting. Besides the “Cop of the Month” award, he was showered with citations from the neighborhood’s elected officials.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Baroniunas said of the praise. “I know it sounds corny but I’m just doing my job, you know? I became a police officer to help the community, to help people, and to decrease crime.”

The rookie cop thanked the veteran officers at the station house for their advice, which he said helped him make the arrest.

Burglaries in the 61st Precinct have gone down almost 40 percent this year, according to the latest crime statistics. There have been 77 burglaries reported in 2016, compared to 128 during the same period last year. As you can see from the image below, some of the burglaries are clustered in Gravesend and the eastern part of the neighborhood’s waterfront.

Crime throughout the precinct has decreased by almost 20 percent, according to the crime figures.

Good work NYPD! Happy to have officers like Baroniunas keeping an eye on things.