He may be just 25 years old and three years out of the Police Academy, but police officer Devin Long is already making a positive impact in keeping the streets of the 67th Precinct safe.
Long, who now works in the street narcotics unit, recently made a life-risking bust, and for his efforts was rewarded with his second “Cop of the Month” certificate in less than a year.
The incident unfolded on the night of September 24 near the corner of East 55th Street and Ditmas Avenue, according to 67th Precinct commanding officer Dep. Inspector Corey Pegues, when Long and his partner were on routine patrol and spotted a person urinating in public.
When the two officers tried to stop the man, he took off with Long in hot pursuit.
The perpetrator turned the corner on East 55th Street, and when Long turned the corner to follow the chase, he walked right into the male pointing a gun at his head.
Long, acting quickly, pulled his own police-authorized gun and squeezed off one round, missing the male suspect he was chasing.
However, the perpetrator, perhaps seeing that gunplay was involved, dropped his black .9-mm gun and took off.
Long said he chased the perpetrator about a block into an Arby’s Restaurant, where he subdued the suspect, and was able to slap handcuffs on him and make the collar.
The loaded gun was recovered.
Pegues said the suspect has several prior arrests including one involving gunplay.
Long said the suspect pointed the gun at him from about five feet away, and that is when the tactics he learned while training at the Police Academy took hold.
“The object is to get rid of the gun threat and that’s what happened. The perp tossed the gun and took off,” he said.
“Afterward, I just thanked God. I’m still here and everything’s all right,” Long added.
Long’s other “Cop of the Month” certificate came from a December 25 incident, when Long and his partner responded to reports of shots being fired near a night club at the corner of East 45th Street and Glenwood Road.
When they ran to the scene, the two cops saw a man wearing a red shirt running away from the clamor. Horrified witnesses told them that the fleeing suspect had just shot the bouncer at a nearby club.
Once again, Long chased and ultimately captured the perpetrator.
Long, who graduated from Canarsie High School, said he got into the NYPD to follow in the footsteps of a cousin, who is also a cop.
He is the middle of four brothers, and Long said he tells the younger ones about living life on the straight and narrow.
“My younger brothers know the routine. I hope they learn from my experience,” he said.
