Deputy Inspector Ralph Monteforte exited the 70th Precinct on Lawrence Avenue for the last time Wednesday afternoon — escorted out by bagpipers, cops, community leaders and neighbors marking the beloved top cop’s retirement.
Monteforte, 44, declined to comment on his future plans, but his wife said the veteran cop plans to spend time with his two young children.
“He just wants to watch the kids grow,” said Sabrina Monteforte. “For the last 15 years, we’ve been alone during the weeknights.”
“No more weekend dad,” she said with a smile.
Monteforte led cops in Flatbush, Midwood and Kensington for three years and was widely credited for his role in responding to community concerns about crime and violence.
“He’s one of the most community-friendly commanders we’ve had,” said Ed Powell, president of the 70th Precinct Community Council. “The street cops and the patrol guys don’t work well with every single commander. But under this guy, they loved him and they worked well with him. Whatever he asked, they were willing to do.”
But Monteforte knows exactly what it was like to be a beat cop in the 70th Precinct. After starting his career as a housing cop, he served as a police officer in the 70th Precinct in 1993 and 1994. He quickly climbed the ranks, becoming a captain in the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush, then becoming the commanding officer of the 69th Precinct in Canarsie before closing out his career on Lawrence Avenue.
Monteforte said he was sad to leave the NYPD as well as the residents of Flatbush and Midwood.
“Over the last couple of weeks people have asked me how I’m feeling… what’s going through my mind,” he told the crowd from the steps of the precinct house. “I’m telling everybody I’m not thinking about what I’m doing; I’m just doing it.”
