As 69th Precinct Community Council President Gardy Brazela was on a well-deserved vacation, Vice President Melba Brown ran the council’s May 30th meeting, where she welcomed Captain Jared Badillo, the new commanding officer of the 69th Precinct.
Captain Badillo, who previously served as executive officer of the precinct, said his mission is to continue building and fostering the strong relationships already in place between cops and the community. He told attendees, “I have worked in nine different precincts. This is by far the number one precinct that gives the best support for cops. We are stronger when we are united. When we work together, we can make Canarsie the safest neighborhood in the city.”
He introduced his new executive officer, Captain Mobeen Yasin, and announced that seven new field training officers, recent graduates of the Police Academy, have joined the precinct.
With a wave of mass shootings occurring around the country over the Memorial Day weekend, Badillo was pleased to announce that there were no shootings, nor shots fired, over the holiday weekend. In fact, May was a very successful month, as the precinct was not up in any of the crime categories. However, the precinct is still having an issue with stolen cars, mostly along the commercial areas – Flatlands Avenue and Rockaway Parkway.
The captain is committed to shutting down smoke shops that are operating illegally and selling marijuana. He said his CRT (Community Response Team) is conducting operations, and it’s his goal to shut down the smoke shops that are not operating lawfully before school starts again in the fall, as a lot of these shops are located close to high schools.
Badillo presented the Cop of the Month award to Police Officer Patricia Morris for “her commitment to public safety and diligent efforts in enforcing traffic laws.” While he was executive officer, Badillo worked with Morris on the traffic program. Watching her interactions with the public through body-worn cameras, Badillo said Morris “is always a professional and acts with respect and dignity.” She has succeeded in bringing injuries from collisions down by 10% by issuing tickets for violations that can contribute to accidents, like going through a red light, texting while driving or failure to yield to a pedestrian.
When the floor was opened to questions, Harold Jones asked if there was a maximum amount of smoke shops allowed in one neighborhood. Badillo said that there is no maximum because the rules are very lax but that Canarsie has the fewest number of smoke shops in all of Brooklyn South.
Jones asked about the progress of the Neighborhood Safety Officers. Badillo responded that during the month of May, six guns were taken off the streets of Canarsie, two by the Neighborhood Safety Team and the rest by the borough-wide team.
Another resident who lives on East 87th Street, between Avenue J and Church Lane, expressed her concern about commercial vehicles, like FedEx and UPS trucks, traveling down the one-way street in the wrong direction. Her concern is that children could get hurt, and Badillo said he would look in the matter.
In honor of Mother’s Day, a raffle was held at the end of the meeting and flowers were awarded to the winners. Recording Secretary Lucina Clarke announced that the Saturday before Father’s Day, My Time Inc. will be “wining and dining” 15 lucky men from the community who won the raffles that night.
The next meeting of the 69th Precinct Community Council will be held on Tuesday, June 27th at the Hebrew Educational Society, 9502 Seaview Avenue.
