Notes From The 66th Precinct Community Council Meeting: Farewell Inspector Deddo, Onward Captain Quick
The 66th Precinct Community Council meeting on Thursday, March 19 moved slowly, stuck in a traffic jam of people eager to meet the new precinct commander, Captain Kenneth M. Quick; hug or talk to departing 66th Precinct Commander Michael J. Deddo; and local politicians paying tribute to Deddo for his three-year direction of the precinct.
It was an occasion of bittersweet farewells, as Councilman David Greenfield said in his speech to the packed meeting held in the E. 4th Street park house at Friends’ Field in Midwood.
“We certainly hope he’ll come back,” Greenfield said. “He has a lifetime pass to this community.”
Transferred to the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau as of Monday, March 16, Deddo appeared at the meeting in his new uniform, a suit and tie, which he’ll now be wearing regularly instead of his police uniform, and settled in for a good hour or more of praise.
For state Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Deddo was “the ultimate mensch. One of the most decent people I’ve ever run across.”
Greenfield also heaped praise on the former commanding officer, calling him “a man of great integrity.” And Councilman Brad Lander noted that an assignment to the NYPD’s Internal Affairs is “given only to people who’ve proved themselves — Deddo has done that.”
Directing their remarks to Deddo and Quick, who were seated in front of the park house’s fireplace, the three politicians expressed their gratitude for Deddo’s service. Practically taking the words from each others’ mouths, the three were in sync on how they viewed the precinct.
The 66th, Greenfield said, is “a warm community that embraces the police.” Still, said Hikind, “the challenges are unbelievable.”
“None of these communities (that comprise the 66th) “are easy of themselves,” Lander said.
“They want fair treatment and rapid response,” he continued.
The meeting’s large turnout suggested that Deddo had successfully courted such a “demanding” community.
Working closely with Deddo, these three politicians said they came to appreciate his dedication and hard work. After a full day of crime fighting, Lander said, Deddo would tune into City Council hearings on TV.
“My appreciation is on a very personal level,” Hikind said. “Mike Deddo calls you at 11:30 at night.“
“We have a history of getting the finest of New York’s finest,” said Greenfield. “Quick is very well regarded, especially in Brooklyn South.”
Deddo’s predecessor, Inspector John Sprague, is going to be commander of a new police unit, and Deputy Inspector Richard DiBlasio now commands the 70th in nearby Ditmas Park/Flatbush.
Deddo thanked everyone for the accolades, welcoming the meeting’s large turnout as if it were a large bouquet of roses for a job well done.
“This is why we all come to work every day,” he said.
“Our community has so much diversity, I want to acknowledge how challenging that can be,” Deddo said, once again reminding the audience that the 66th has the most mosques and synagogues in the city.
“Look at where we are,” he said, citing the precinct’s increased ties to the Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Asian communities, knitted together under his command—especially the all-volunteer Brooklyn Asian COPS (Civilian Observation Patrol). This group is modeled after the Shomrim, (Hebrew for watchers), an unarmed Orthodox Jewish police patrol that works in tandem with the 66th Precinct. The Asian COPS group does the same, especially along Eighth Avenue.
Once a plaque was presented to Deddo, certificates to two NYPD Explorers, and awards to the three Cops of the Month, Captain Quick got his turn to speak. He thanked everyone for the outpouring of welcome, Deddo for turning over a great command; and the precinct’s Community Affairs officers for assisting in his 66th Precinct baptism.
“I’m going to pick up my helmet and be ready to go,” he said.
Describing a bit of his background, he said he started in the neighboring 70th Precinct 16 years ago, worked in burglary in Brooklyn North, and has a Master’s degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Once promoted to captain in 2012, he worked in the 72nd Precinct.
Later assigned to the specialized units at Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, he worked in anti-crime and on the evidence team, as well as occasionally with the 66th.
“We got some very bad guys,” he said, proudly describing his accomplishments.
The Community Council meeting took place up the block from Moisha’s Discount Supermarket, a store that has drawn numerous complaints from neighbors — including for pallets blocking Avenue M’s sidewalks, customers double parking, and forklifts crowding the street. On March 30, a forklift driver allegedly hit another employee and broke his leg. Many of Moisha’s neighbors stayed to the end of the meeting to get the police’s help in addressing some of these problems. The year before, another flock of Moisha’s neighbors had appeared at the 66 Precinct Community Council meeting complaining about the unlicensed forklifts, the horns, and the doubleparking, in other words, the same issues.
When we reached Moisha’s today, the store’s manager said he couldn’t address the concerns, saying it was up to the owner to do so. The owner could not be reached for comment, but we’ll update this if we hear from him.
“I thought they were going to correct it,” said the first speaker about the mess at Moisha’s.
“Your complaints have not fallen on deaf ears,” said Quick, who pointed out there has been progress.
“The forklifts are probably now registered,” added Quick, noting the precinct would talk to the manager about the merchandise left on the street.
Someone else complained about Elmwood Avenue, where cars are parked at hydrants, block crosswalks and driveways, and there are complaints about a catering business running a valet service in the area.
“They’re running affairs five to six nights a week,” the resident said.”There’s honking two to three nights a week. The cops don’t come although I’ve had private meetings with the detective squad. We need ‘No Standing’ signs.”
“The honking is insane,” another woman complained, who lives with her 97-year old mother. “And it goes on ’til 5 a.m.”
“Traffic lights on Avenue L are very long. Nothing moves,” said another woman. “They need adjusting.”
The complaints grew more frenzied but Quick never lost his cool. These are community board issues, he said.
“DOT will be there at the meeting on Tuesday, March 24,” the captain told the crowd.
In other news, Counter Terrorism Bureau Inspector Van Gostein reported there were no current threats, but he cautioned residents to watch out for back packs and unattended packages any day — and particularly on April 15, the second anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. Should you see one, get away from it and call 911 or the CT hotline: 1-888-NYC-SAFE.
“Keep your wits about you and be observant,” he advised.
On a night leavened with citations and awards, not least were the Cops of the Month awards given to Officer Anthony Carreira and Detectives James Dawson and John Boldon for busting an uncle-nephew burglary team. Deddo told the meeting last month that the precinct had been plagued by a rash of second- and third-story burglaries between October 2014 and February 2015. Thanks to a good relationship among the patrol officers and the detectives, they were able to capture the two men who the District Attorney’s office charged with 18 burglaries and held them on $350,000 bail.
Next month’s meeting will be held Thursday, April 16, 7:30 p.m. at CB 12’s offices, 5910 Thirteenth Avenue in Boro Park. Meanwhile, you can check out the precinct’s new Twitter page for daily updates on precinct happenings.